


Goodbye Stranger

by MissEms



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bullied Castiel, Bullying, Destiel - Freeform, High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-05-03 02:19:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5272895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissEms/pseuds/MissEms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(High school au) Sam and Dean Winchester's lives have always been normal. What happens when a family tragedy tears the small family to pieces and a certain Castiel Novak helps pick up its pieces?</p><p>ABANDONED (temporarily??)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This work is originally from my old quotev account but I never finished it so I'll be editing the current chapters and posting them here as well as finishing the story. I hope you all like it :)

Dean Winchester woke up and immediately wanted to die. Today was the first day of his senior year, and his little brother Sammy's first day of high school.

The seventeen year old groaned and pushed his covers off, knowing damn well that not getting up would be a bad decision, even for him. Dean had always hated school. For as long as he could remember he'd been trying to get out of it. He didn't get good grades at all. He never had the right motivation too. Sure he had lots of friends, but only a couple were real.

Dean just found school pointless, and for this reason he would always rather stay home and work on cars in his dad's garage.

Dean loved working on cars. It the was one thing he was great at. It made him feel relaxed as he worked. It made his father proud too. John was happy to have a son who was just as good at fixing cars as he was. Someone who could take over the family business one day.

He threw on a pair of jeans and an ACDC T-shirt, pulled on his black converse, and quickly fixed his hair before going down to breakfast. As Dean went down the hall from his room, he could smell waffles and syrup. Sammy must have already been up.

Turning the corner into the kitchen, he saw his brother and mom excitedly talking about the first day and eating waffles.

"Good Mornjng Dean, sweetie!" Mary, his mom sang happily. "We made some for you." She said, pointing to a third plate of waffles. Dean smiled.

"Thanks mom." Dean loved his mother. She was the only person who he felt he could tell anything to. The only person he could be completely himself around. Dean never wanted to make Mary upset. He hated disappointing her, which was why he even tried at all at school.

Dean sat beside Sam and took a bite of his waffles as the other two continued talking about the millions of clubs Sammy was joining.

"Well there's deca, obviously. Oh and key club. Hopefully I'll get into the National honor's society..." As Sam went on with his speech, Dean wondered how his kid brother could keep his grades up and still be in so many clubs. He rolled his eyes at his nerdy brother and rinsed his plate in the sink.

"Alright Sam-I-Am, we better get a move on. Don't wanna be late for any of your nerd classes." He joked. Mary gave a serious glare and he rolled his eyes again.

"Alright lemme go get my backpack." Sam ran off to his bedroom and Dean slung his own bag over his right shoulder.

"Promise me you'll try today Hun?" Mary asked him. Dean internally rolled his eyes but he couldnt say no.

"Of course mom." He replied. She smiled and hugged her son.

"Have an amazing day kiddos."

Sam and Dean headed out to Dean's car and got in. Dean had a '67 Chevy Impala. He'd gotten it for his 17th birthday last year from his dad. The car meant a lot to Dean. It gave him a chance to show his father that he could be responsible for something.

Dean started up the car (he liked to call her baby) and they set off to school. "Now you tell me if anyone tries to pick on you. I'll come rip their guts out." He told Sam as they pulled into the parking lot. "Oh, and don't nerd it up too much. I have a reputation here okay?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "You're a jerk." He laughed.

"Well you're a bitch." Dean added, making Sam laugh again. "Alright now make friends okay?"

"Alright mom." Sam teased as they got out of the car.

"Meet me here after school." Dean reminded his brother as the bell rang. "And don't be late to class!"

Sam rolled his eyes again and ran off to his first period.

Dean decided being late for first period was a bad way to start off the school day so he headed down to his first class, art. (A class he fought his counselor about changing but "it just couldn't be changed.").

He entered the class and found one seat left. Sighing, he sat between a kid named Chuck that he'd known forever and a new kid. The kid had dark hair and extremely blue eyes. From what Dean could tell, the guy was a total nerd. He wore a blue tie (to school!) and a tan trench coat that made him seem just a bit creepy.

Dean saw some of his friends sitting across the room and sighed. He wished he'd gotten here sooner.

Dean's best friends were a girl named Charlie, who was a total fangirl, Dean had learned, another girl named Jo, who had been his friend since they were only three. There was a guy named Kevin, who was super smart but pretty cool, and another guy named Benny, who seemed kind of rude and cruel at first, but Dean quickly realized it was just an act. That was it. His only real friends.

Now of course, Dean had people that he talked to occasionally. He was pretty popular among the famle population of the school, and he didn't have any enemies, so he considered his social life a pretty good one.

Jo and Charlie sadly smiled at him from across the room and he returned one.

"Good morning class." A short, plump, artificially red haired woman walked into the classroom. "I'm Miss Luan." She smiled at the class.

She theN began telling the class about how art was going to change their lives or something. Dean stopped paying much attention to her. Instead, he watched the new kid, who seemed extremely intrigued by whatever this lady was talking about. He noticed that the kid's binder said "Castiel Novak" on it, written in black sharpie. What freak names their kid Castiel? No wonder he seemed like such a total geek.

Dean felt kinda bad for the poor guy. Turning his attention back to Miss Luan, who was now telling them about how their first assignment was going to be some dumb drawing of whatever they wanted so she could see each student's "talents."

Dean rolled his eyes but Castiel nodded, as if he were receiving very important information. The bell rang and Dean quickly caught up to Charlie and Jo. "That was rather enlightening." Charlie joked. They all laughed and Dean suddenly noticed Michael, the school's biggest douche, knock into Castiel, causing his books to fall from his arms and scatter across the hall.

"Watch where you're walking, asshole." Called Michael. Cas frowned and began picking up his books.

"What a jerk." Jo sighed. "Poor kid. He's not gonna have a fun year with Michael around."

The three of them walked to Forensics without helping the poor guy, making Dean feel slightly guilty but he shook off the feeling rather quickly and just hoped that Sam wasn't being treated like this poor guy.

By lunch, Dean had been to three other classes, Calculus, english, and government. All three teachers were pretty boring and all three classes seemed nearly impossible to pass.

"Have you guys seen the new kid?" Benny asked at lunch. "What's up with him?" The group laughed.

"Dude I know! What's with his trenchcoat?" Added Kevin.

"I don't know, I feel bad for the guy. Michael was being an ass to him this morning." Said Jo.

"Yeah, he's an ass to everyone though." Said Dean. "One day he's gonna get what's coming his way."

"Didn't you used to be friends with that guy? Like in middle school?" Charlie asked.

Dean had been friends with Michael for a few months in 7th grade. They picked on kids like Castiel everyday. The memory made Dean cringe. Dean wasn't the nicest guy around, but he wasn't Michael cruel.

"Yeah. Not proud of it. That's why we're not friends anymore. Told him off one day when he pushed a 6th grade girl down the stairs at lunch."

"Well now you've got us, and we're much cooler than that douche bag." Kevin joked. Dean saw Sammy across the lunch room laughing with a group of kids and sighed, relieved that his brother was fitting in alright.

Dean's last two classes were electives. Spanish and woodshop. He honestly didn't feel it was nessisary to go to them, but he promised his mom he would try today. He could ditch tomorrow.

Spanish proved to be quite awful, being taught by a little white woman named Mrs. Dickens. Woodshop seemed easy enough, and the teacher, Mr. Singer, reminded him of his dad. He might enjoy this class more than he had first planned to.

When the final bell rang, Dean headed over to his locker, getting books he needed and putting back ones he didn't. He believed that bringing home the books would encourage him to do the work, which usually wouldn't happen.

He closed and locked his locker and began walking towards the student parking lot, when he saw Michael shove Castiel into a locker, causing the kid's stuff to scatter throughout the hall again. Dean sighed. What the hell was wrong with this guy?

Dean walked over to where Castiel was frantically trying to gather his books and bent down to help him. 

"Thank you." Castiel murmured.

"No problem man. Don't let that Michael guy get you down. He's just an ass hole who picks on kids because he's got no life of his own." Dean handed Castiel his books.

"Thank you again. I have to go before I miss my bus."

"Alright. If Michael ever gives you trouble just let me know." Dean headed off to his car, wondering why Castiel's language was so formal and why he was acting so awkward. He shrugged it off as he got closer to his car.

Sam was already waiting by the Impala. "Hey Sammy. How was school?"

"Awesome!" Sam said excitedly. "I met lots of friends and joined lots of clubs! And all my teachers are really cool!"

"Nerd." Dean laughed.

"Don't be such a jerk, Dean."

"Then don't be such a bitch, Sam." Dean laughed. "So nobody picked on you today?"

"No. Everyone is really nice." Sam smiled, making Dean feel better as he pulled out of the parking lot.

As soon as they arrived home, Sam started on his homework and Dean found something to eat. John was still at the garage and their mom was still at work. (She taught kindergardeners)

Dean watched TV for a while, not worried about doing any homework. John and Mary arrived home and Mary requested the boy's help with dinner, which was just an excuse to ask them how school had been.

Sammy dragged on and on about how fantastic school was And Dean said that school had been fine. They quickly made some chicken and rice and sat at the table.

"Did you guys make any new friends?" Mary asked excitedly. Sam nodded and told their parents about his great new friends while Dean rolled his eyes.

"How was your day Dean?" John asked after Sam finished his monologue.

"Alright." He said. "My teachers are all pretty boring." He said between bites of food.

"Did you meet any new friends?" His mom asked. 

Dean rolled his eyes, as he was a little too old to be getting asked questions like this, but he answered anyway. "There's this new kid, Castiel Novak. He's super wierd and he wore a trenchcoat to school today."

"Hey I know his sister. Her name is Anna, she's in my year." Said Sam excitedly. "She seemed pretty normal, though."

"Oh the Novaks. They're the ones who moved in down the street!" Said Mary. "I met their mother today. Naomi was her name? Anyway they seem nice. Very religious people. Their father walked out on them and they moved here to start a new life." She explained. "You two should be nice to them. They haven't had the easiest life." She said seriously.

Dean rolled his eyes again while Sam nodded. "Anna's joining Deca so I'll see her there. I'll see if she wants to be friends. " He said excitedly.

After dinner, Dean took a shower and went to bed. He stared up at his cieling, thinking about the strange Novak family. What would it be like to have your own father walk out on you? Dean shuttered and closed his eyes, falling into a dreamless sleep. 


	2. Chapter two

The next day was a Thursday. Dean groggily rubbed his eyes and groaned, wishing it was Saturday so he could sleep in. The lack of noise throughout the home meant that his parents were already at work.

Dean rolled out of bed, pulling on some clothes and shoes. He knocked on Sam's door before opening it. His brother was still sound asleep. Dean gently shook Sam's shoulder, waking the boy up. Sam groaned and rolled over, burying his face in his pillow. "No" he mumbled angrily.

Dean chuckled. "Sorry Sammy. Gotta go to school." Sam sighed and finally got up as Dean made scrambled eggs for the two of them. They ate in silence, both hurrying to finish, as they were running late.

Five minutes later they were climbing into the Impala and heading to school.

"Don't forget I have Key Club today. Can you drive me home?" Sam reminded Dean as they pulled into the parking lot.

"Yup, I'll be here." Dean assured Sam. There was no way he was going to let Sammy walk all the way home alone. "Alright. Have a good day, Sammy."

Sam waved as they parted ways to their classes. All the way up to lunch, Dean's day was fairly normal. He hadn't seen Michael picking on anyone today, which made him feel slightly relieved.

At lunch, Dean sat with his usual friends. He noticed Castiel sitting all alone. His sister must have found some friends to eat with. Dean felt slightly bad for the guy.

About half way through lunch there was a yell from across the cafeteria. Everyone's heads shot up, looking towards the source.

"Nerd!" someone screamed. Dean saw Michael. Dean couldn't tell who he was screaming at until Michael pushed them into the floor and kicking them in the side.

A familiar cry echoed in Dean's ears, sending him into a rare anger. Dean jumped up from his seat and ran over to Michael, punching the guy square in the nose.

"Don't you ever..." Dean said pushing Michaels I to a wall. "Ever, touch my brother again you bastard!" Dean punched the guy again and ran over to help Sammy up. "Hey, Sammy, are you hurt?"

Dean hadn't noticed how silent the lunchroom had gotten. Sam shook his head, looking more shaken up than hurt. "Thanks." He whispered.

"Don't worry. That guy won't be messing with you anymore." Dean reassured Sam. Michael was gone, and Dean was just thankful no teachers had seen the fight.

Sam sat back with his friends, (even though Dean had told him to sit with him today) and Dean noticed that Anna was one of the people he was sitting with.

"Ass hole." Dean muttered, sitting back down beside Joe.

"What's his deal anyway? Picking on kids like Sam?" Charlie said quietly. Dean shook his head.

"I can't believe I used to be his friend." Dean was, truthfully, embarrassed that he use to bully kids in middle school. Remembering it made him feel sick to his stomach. Dean had never gone as far as Michael, though. He just called kids names, never laying a hand on anyone.

"Hey at least you're not anymore." Jo said. "Thats all that counts." She promised him, making him feel much better.

When the final bell of the day rang, Dean knew he had some time to kill while Sam was as Key Club so he went to the school library to work on his drawing assignment for art class, which was due the next day.

He pushed open the double doors and a dusty smell filled his lungs. He ignored it and sat down at an empty table, pulling out a sheet of paper and his pencil. He wasn't sure what exactly to draw so he just began drawing his car.

He supposed it was a bit lame to draw his own car but no other ideas struck him so he just went with it. Dean had been quite focused and didn't realize when Castiel walked in and sat at the table next to his to work on some Calculus problems.

He finished his drawing, satisfied with the outcome. Sure he wasn't a great artist or anything, but it didn't suck. He pulled out his cell phone, checking the time. It was about three thirty. Sam's club would be over in about fifteen minutes.

"That's a really good drawing." Dean jumped at the gruff voice.

"God Cas." He said after turning to see the guy. "You scared the shit out of me." He laughed.

Cas cocked his head, looking slightly confused. "It's Castiel." He corrected.

"It's a nickname." Dean laughed. "What you don't like it?"

"No it's fine, I was just making sure you knew." Castiel said in a very bland tone. Dean gave Cas a questioning look but didn't say any more on the subject.

"So you really like it?" Dean said, referring to his drawing.

"Oh, yes. It's quite good. Mines not too great..." He said shyly.

"Oh, well thanks man. I'm sure yours isn't bad," Dean said awkwardly. "It's my car. I mean, I own an impala." He clarified. "I like cars." 

"Well it is a nice car." Castiel stated. Dean wondered why this guy was being so... Awkward and stiff about everything. His language was just so formal.

"I saw you stand up to Michael at lunch," he abruptly stated.

"Oh, yeah, well nobody picks on my brother but me." Dean explained. "Michael's not as tough as he looks. He's just an ass hole."

Cas nodded. "I hate bullies." He said quietly. Something in Dean's chest clenched at that last statement. Did Castiel really encounter that much bullying?

"Me too. Hey, if anyone ever gives you trouble you can find me. I'll make sure it's the last time." He assured Cas.

"That's very nice of you Dean. I'll remember that.." Deans phone began ringing, making his heart jump. "Oh, I forgot Key Club is over, I gotta go get my brother."

"Oh. Anna, my sister, is there as well. I'll walk with you." Castiel replied.

Dean shrugged, letting Cas walk with him. The walk to the parking lot was long and silent. Castiel didn't really seem like the talking type, Dean thought as he met Sammy at the car, who was standing with Anna.

"Hey Dean." Sam said. "This is My friend Anna. Anna this is Dean." He said.

Anna was a red haired, pale girl who honestly looked nothing like Cas. She smiled at Dean.

"Come on, Anna we should get home before mom starts to worry." Castiel told her.

"Well bye Sam. Nice to meet you Dean." She said in her quiet voice.

"Later to you too Cas." Dean said in a sarcastic tone.

"Goodbye Dean" He said, and began walking out of the parking lot.

So they had to walk home? That must suck, thought Dean as he and Sammy got into the car.

The ride home was awkward and silent. Dean was glad to see that Sam didn't look too emotionally traumatized by the day's earlier events. Dean pulled into the Winchester driveway, their parents' cars already home.

Sam immediately retreated to his bedroom, slightly worrying Dean. Dean put his bag in the hall closet and greeted his mom in the kitchen.

"Hey hon, how was school?" She asked happily.

"Alright. It was school so you know.." Dean shrugged.

"Wanna go get your brother? Dinner's just about ready." Dean nodded, greeting his father past the garage. Dean knocked on Sam's door.

"Dinner's ready Sammy." He heard no reply so he attempted to open the door, finding it locked. Frowning, Dean went into the bathroom. He searched a drawer for one of his mother's hair pins and went back to Sam's door, picking the lock.

Dean opened the door and closed and locked it behind him. Sam's room was dark and Dean heard a small sniffling noise. He swore his heart hurt a little at the sound.

Sam was sitting on his bed in a ball, eyes puffy. Dean sat beside his brother and put an arm around him. "It's alright Sammy. You're alright." He whispered. Dean felt rage flowing through his body. That ass-hole Michael is who did this to his brother.

"I'm sorry, Dean." Sam sniffled. "I'm being a baby.."

"Hey, it's not your fault. Don't you dare be sorry. Michael's gonna be sorry when I bash his fricken head in." He whispered angrily.

"Dean, no! He's gonna get madder and come after me again." He hissed.

"Sam, that guy needs to get taught a lesson. He can't just go around treating kids like this and get away with it."

Sam sighed. "I just wanna go to school without having to worry about that guy.."

"And you will, I promise." Dean vowed to himself that if Michael did one more thing, he was a dead man.

"Why don't you get cleaned up for dinner?" Dean said, finally. Mom would be wondering where they were. They stood up and Sam quickly embraced Dean.

"Thank you." He whispered. Dean patted Sammy on the back, holding him tightly for a moment.

"Anytime buddy," he reassured Sam. "Now no chick flick moments." He said, trying to lighten the mood. Sam let out a small chuckle, which Dean decided was a victory.

Dinner was eaten quietly. Mostly just small talk was made and Sam finished first.

"I gotta work on some homework." He announced before going back to his room. Dean heard Sam's door click shut and lock and his heart sank a little, hoping he wasn't in there crying again.

Dean took a quick shower and went to sleep early that night, neglecting his calculus homework yet again. He fell into a sleep plagued by nightmares of Michael picking on Sammy and Cas. Dean woke up the next morning with a sick feeling in his gut.

\------------------------------------------------

Another week passed and Michael hadn't done anything else to anyone. At least, not that Dean saw.

Sam was feeling much happier, probably because Michael hadn't messed with him. Dean was on his way to first period, stopping at his locker to get his latest drawing assignment. This time he had drawn some trees. No car.

He and Cas still sat together in art. He found that Cas was just a naturally awkward guy. They would exchange small talk sometimes in the mornings but nothing past that.

Dean sat down on his stool and laid his drawing out on the desk. Castiel sat down beside him a few moments later.

"Hello Dean." Cas greeted him.

"Mornin' Cas."

Castiel pulled out his drawing. It was a finely detailed drawing of an angel. Though Dean wouldnt admit it, he thought it was quite beautiful. Angels reminded him of his mother.

By lunch Dean's brain felt fried. He sat in between Charlie and Jo. The group joked like they did everyday, exchanging banter amoungst themselves.

"Stay out of my way, loser." A voice yelled, making something in Dean's chest twist. "Seriously. Who wears a fricken suit and tie to school? Nerd."

Dean shot up from his seat, headed towards Michael, who had pushed Castiel onto the ground, his food was scattered across the floor. Cas had a swollen lip and a bloody nose.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Dean yelled, pushing Michael up against the cafeteria wall. "You gotta knock it off or I swear to g-"

Someone was pulling Dean off of Michael. Dean turned and realized that it was Cas. He brushed Cas off.

"C'mon man, this guy's gonna get what's coming to him." Dean grunted angrily.

"Dean please stop." Cas pleaded. "He's just gonna make things worse."

Dean threw one last punch at Michael, hitting his jaw. "If I see you around here again I swear to god I'll fricken kill you, you son of a bitch." Dean growled at Michael. "C'mon man, let's get you cleaned up."

Dean took Cas to the bathroom to get paper towels. He helped him clean the blood off of his lip. "When you get home you gotta ice that lip or it'll get worse."

Cas nodded stiffly. "Thank you Dean." He whispered.

"Don't mention it man. What kind of friend lets another friend get beat up by a douche bag?"

"You consider us to be friends?" Cas asked. Dean thought for a moment. Why not?

"Sure Cas,"Dean agreed. He had just said it, after all. Cas gave Dean a small smile and Dean realized that it was the only time he'd ever seen Cas smile.Dean was Strangely glad to be the cause of it.

"Ready to go back? You can sit with me and my friends from now on. They won't mind, c'mon."

Together, they walked back into the lunchroom and sat with Dean's friends. "Hello." Cas said quietly, refusing to look up.

"Guys I told Cas he can sit with us now." Dean told everyone. They all said hellos to Cas, who still seemed a little uneasy.

Jo was extra friendly to Cas, trying to make him feel welcome in their group. "I'm going to go to my locker before 6th." Cas said, abruptly, getting up. "Thank you all." He said awkwardly.

"Alright well I'll see you after school, Cas." Dean reminded him, knowing he would have to wait for Anna today.

Cas nodded. "See you then, Dean."

As soon as Cas was out of hearing distance Dean said, "Okay I know he's not the coolest guy, but he's kinda my friend and I feel bad for him so I'm sorry if I made things awkward by inviting him here but-"

"Dean it's fine." Charlie interrupted.

"Yeah. He's pretty awkward but I'm sure once we get to know him we'll love him," Kevin added.

"Yeah Dean, don't worry it's cool, man." Benny assured him. Dean felt relieved. For some reason ot felt very important that his friends like Castiel.

He met Cas at the library after school. His lip seemed slightly worse, but Dean decided it was best to not mention it. Dean decided to try some calculus homework, as he was really far behind in that class.

Castiel must have noticed Dean's struggle because he scooted his chair closer. "Would you like any help?" He asked. Dean sighed.

"That would be awesome, actually," He admitted. Cas spent the next forty five minutes showing Dean how to do limits, and Dean discovered that they weren't as hard as he'd once believed.

"Thanks Cas." He said when they were done. "I think I get it now."

"Anytime Dean. I'm happy to help." He gave a small smile.

"How're you doing?" Dean finally asked the questioned that'd been eating away at him. "I mean, after lunch and all".

"Oh, I'm okay." Cas said. "He was just kind of.. scary I guess.."

"I get it. Glad you're okay."

"Only because you were there. Nobody else was exactly trying to help me so much as video tape it."

"Well they're all jerks." Dean joked, making Cas smile. They walked together in silence to meet their siblings by the car. A cold breeze sent shivers down Dean's back and he hugged his jacket closer. He wondered how Cas wasn't cold.

"Want me to give you two a ride?" Dean offered his friend as they approached his car. "It's freezing out here."

"It's fine Dean, we can walk."

"C'mon just let me. It's a long walks me it's cold out here." Cas sighed, giving in.

"Thank you." He said. Cas rode shotgun, Sam and Anna in the back seat. The ride was quiet, only Sam and Anna occasionally saying something.

Dean pulled up in front of the Novak's house. "I guess I'm going to have to explain how I got this." Cas said, pointing to his eye. He sighed.

Anna said goodbye and got out of the car, heading up to the house. "Thank you, again, Dean." Cas said. "for everything."

"Don't mention it, man. See ya tomorrow." Dean waited until Cas went inside his home before he drove off, wondering what Cas was going to tell his mom about his new shiner.

Dean felt bad for Cas. At least it wasn't worse. When Dean pulled up to his house, there were police cars, a fire truck, and ambulances surrounding it. Panic filled his stomach as he parked the car.

"What's going on?" Sam's worried voice whispered from the backseat.

"I dont know Sammy." Dean whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning in this chapter for death.

"Sam, stay here." Dean commanded. Sam looked terrified but Dean tried to keep a brave face as he opened his car door and stepped out into the cool autumn air. The smell of smoke instantly filled his lungs and something in his stomach flipped.

"What's going on?" Dean asked, making his way through a maze of cars and officials. "Somebody tell me what the hell is going on!" Dean yelled, frustrated.

"Stay calm, son." An officer told him. "Calm? Where are my parents? What's happening?"

"Dean-" a familiar voice caused him to turn quickly, making his head spin.

"Dad!" Dean was relieved. "What's going on? Where's mom?"

John was quiet, but the silence seemed to answer Dean's question.

"Where's mom?" He repeated, his voice faltering. Tears were falling freely from John's eyes.

"No." Dean whispered. "No, goddammit." Dean felt his body crumple to the ground, his knees landing hard on the asphalt. Everything seemed to stop. He was dreaming. He had to be dreaming. Mary Winchester was not allowed to die. Not in a fricken house fire.

Dean's body began racking with sobs and they became worse when he realized he would have to tell Sammy. Innocent Sam, who didn't deserve this. He could hear his father crying quietly beside him, but Dean didn't care who heard his own sobs.

It didn't seem fair to him that the world was allowed to continue turning without his mother. He heard people talking to him. Probably asking if he was okay. He felt too numb to reply, or even understand what they were saying for that matter. He needed to go to Sam.

Dean slowly pulled himself up, aware that he probably looked like a wreck but he didn't care. He slowly walked to his car, unsure of what to tell Sam. He planned on what to say as he opened the back door adjacent to where his little brother was sitting. Seeing the look in Sammy's eyes broke him. He broke down in sobs again.

"What Dean? What's happening?" Panic filled the boy's voice.

 "Mom-" Dean choked out. "She's gone."

Tears immediately filled Sam's dark eyes. "Ho- how?"

"Fire." Dean whispered. He scooted close to his brother and wrapped his arms around the boy. Sam cried into Dean's shirt for what felt like forever but may have been only a few minuets.

Dean just held him there, taking shaky breaths and hiccuping from his sobs. John opened the door a few moments later and pulled his boys close.

"I love you both." He whispered. They all cried together, holding onto all they had left, each other. Dean hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to his mother.

\-----------------------------------------------

A small service was held for Mary Winchester. Only her closest family and friends attended. There wasn't a dry eye that cold October day.

The male Winchesters had been staying in a small apartment, waiting for their house to be rebuilt. It was couple blocks away from their house.

Dean didn't like staying in the apsrtmentS It was too dusty there, and too cold. It reminded him of sadness, and it's emptiness reminded him that his mother was gone.

Dean had never been so broken. He cried himself to sleep every night, and could hear Sam too, now that they would share a room. Both boys hadn't been to school in weeks, and they knew the time would come that they'd have to go back.

John was silent most days. He never spoke anymore, all happiness now drained from his life. Dean was basically taking care of Sam now, their father too emotionally unstable to go anywhere or do anything.

Dean didnt reply to his friends when they asked how he was. He never answered their calls. Usually if someone doesn't want to talk about something, it's because it either means nothing to them, or it means everything to them. And Mary meant the world to Dean, which is why he refused to talk about it as much as possible.

At the beginning of November, the brothers were to go back to school. Dean was definitely not looking forward to it. People would ask him questions that he wouldn't want to talk about. They would look at him with pity in their eyes and he, more than anything, did not want anyone's pity.

He drove Sam to school on their first day back and the ride was silent.

"I'll see ya later Sammy." Dean said quietly as he went to class. As he walked into art, he felt every eye turn to him. His sat beside Castiel, who was conveniently not sitting by many other students. This made Dean happier, for he was not in the mood for talking to people.

They were all told to sketch quietly that day, and Dean's hand began racing across the paper, knowing exactly what it was doing. He drew his mother. He made her beautiful and happy and smiling again. He didn't notice that he was crying until a tear fell onto the paper he was working on.

He quickly wiped his eyes once he noticed that Castiel was watching him. Taking a shaky breath, he continued working, noticing that Cas was drawing an angel again.

Before he realized what he was doing, Dean had transformed his mother into an angel, as well. A gorgeous one. It was his best drawing ever. He couldn't believe he wasted all that time drawing his stupid car. It now meant nothing compared to Mary: 

"She's beautiful." Cas' low, quiet voice startled Dean at first.

"She was." Dean said quietly.

 Cas smiled sadly at Dean. "I'm very sorry Dean." He whispered.

Dean bit his bottom lip for a second to keep a sob from escaping him. "I miss her so damn much."

"I know you do." Cas said. "But I believe that she'll always be with you. To watch over you, like an angel." He said, gesturing to Dean's sketch.

"Me too," Dean agreed, giving Cas a weak smile. "Listen, I don't know if I'm ready for school again... I think I'm gonna go out to the fields and sit back behind the bleachers for a while.. I dont want all of these people pitying me and asking stupid questionsall day."

"I think you need it." Cas said, which surprised Dean because Cas seemed like the kind of guy who strongly opposed ditching class.

"Would you come with me? I mean, having someone there would be nice. It would probably keep me from completely breaking down." Dean admitted.

"Of course Dean. You're my friend." Cas stated. "If your friends need your support, you help them right?"

Dean nodded. "Thank you," Dean said, feeling better knowing he'like have someone to be there with him.

He would've asked Jo or Benny but he felt like he would be bothering them for some reason. It was stupid of course. He knew they would drop everything for him, but he didn't want to involve them in this. He didn't want to be that friend who was broken, and needed be fixed. He just wanted to be regular old Dean.

He knew Cas could see through that, though. He felt like hiding things from Cas was pointless. For that reason, Cas and Dean ditched the rest of school to sit behind some bleachers, even if they didn't talk most of the time.

Dean was sitting against a brick wall behind the bleachers and Cas sat criss crossed beside him. Cas let Dean think when he needed to think, not interrupting his thoughts.

"I keep wishing this was all a dream and that I could just wake up and she would be here you know?"

Cas nodded silently, "That is how I felt when my father walked out on us. I just kept telling myself that he was going to come back, but I had to let him go." He paused for a moment then continued. "I know I can't compare my father leaving to your mother dying. I can't even imagine what you're going through. I just wanted you to know that you're not alone in this."

Dean felt a tear rolling down his cheek and quickly wiped it away. "I guess I do need to let her go." He whispered, unable to meet Cas's eyes. "It's just hard."

"Letting go does not mean forgetting. I will never forget my father nor will you forget your mother. Time heals, Dean."

Dean took a shaky breath. "Look at us. A couple of broken dudes ditching class to talk about our feelings." He joked.

Cas let out a small laugh. "I suppose we are."

"I think it'll just take some time then," Dean finally said. "Thank you."

__________________________________

Cas agreed to help Dean with his studies now that he was so far behind. They agreed that they would go to Cas's house every other day after school.

"Alright let's do some Calculus first since you seem to be having the hardest time with that." Castiel decided on their first study day. Dean nodded in agreement.

Cas's house was quiet. Anna was at a sleepover and Naomi was out of town on business. When Dean first entered, he noticed how warm the house was compared to the little apartment he'd been staying in. There were crosses and paintings of saints and angels throughout the home as well.

Dean remembered how his mother would put little angel statues in he and Sam's rooms. "Angels are watching over you." She would tell them every night. Dean hoped it was true, and he hoped that angel was his mom.

The two sat at Cas's kitchen table, which was now covered in homework sheets and textbooks. They worked on Calculus for a while, Dean taking a while to fully understand what was going on. "Think we should take a break?" He finally asked after finishing a rather difficult problem. "My brain feels fried." He admitted.

"Of course Dean. Are you hungry? Thirsty?" He asked his friend. "I think I'm gonna find something to eat. I'm rather hungry."

Dean noticed that it was about seven. "Yeah, I could eat." He answered.

They made some macaroni and cheese and cleared a small area on the table to eat it. They sat back down and began to eat in silence. About half way through his bowl, Dean noticed that Cas was staring at him.

"What?" Dean questioned. Cas blinked a couple of times.

"Oh, sorry. I just uh- lost in thought." He took another bite of his Mac and cheese. Dean shrugged and continued eating.

"So uh, I should probably get home soon. My dad's been job searching and I don't want Sam to be home alone very late."

John couldn't support the family on just the money from the garage, so he had been searching for a new job. Dean knew that he would be having to take care of Sam a lot more now.

"Alright, Dean." Cas nodded. "I suppose I'll see you on Monday."

Dean nodded. "Of course. And thanks, you know, for helping me."

"It's no problem, really Dean." Cas gave him a small smile.

Dean hesitated before saying "If you wanna hang out or something this weekend just text me or something. I don't really have anything to do anyway."

Cas seemed taken aback by Dean's request. "Oh.. Um, alright."

"You know, only if you want to. We could catch a movie or something, or just hang out."

"That sounds nice." Cas nodded. "I will text you you tomorrow." He agreed.

"Alright man. See ya then." Dean drove home quickly, as it was dark now and Sam was alone. "Sammy?" He called as he opened the door to their small apartment.

"Kitchen." He heard Sam's voice. He walked through the small hallway and found Sam reading "To Kill A Mockingbird."

"Dad still out job searching?" Dean asked. Sam replied with a nod. "Alright well, did you eat yet?" Sam nodded again. "Cereal." He said. Dean nodded and went to their room.

Just as he sat down on his bed, he heard the front door opening and John's voice. "Boys?" Dean made his way back to the kitchen to find John sitting with Sam.

"Hey Dad." Dean said, sitting on the other side of Sam. "Any luck with your job hunt?"

"That's why I called you in here." John started. "I've found something, but it's going to involve me traveling a lot. I'll be gone for days at a time and I need to make sure you two will be okay without me."

"Hey we'll be fine Dad." Dean assured. He wasn't too thrilled that his dad wouldn't be around, but he was the one putting food on the table. "When do you start?"

"Tomorrow morning.." Dean nodded stiffly. "Don't worry I'll just be going back and forth for a while." He reassured them. "I'll still be around sometimes. We just really need the money right now."

"We understand Dad." Sam said quietly, avoiding eye contact with his father. Dean could tell Sam wasn't too fond of this idea.

"Alright boys, I'm gonna turn in for the night. I'll see you two in the morning." John left the room and tears swelled in Sam's eyes.

"It's like he's just running away.." He whispered.

"Hey, hey Sammy," Dean scooted his chair closer to Sam. "He loves us so much. He just has to have some space for a while." Sam took a deep breath. Why was their family falling apart? "Why don't you get some sleep okay?" Dean suggested.

Sam nodded. He got up and before exiting the kitchen, turned back for a moment. "You're not gonna leave me right?" Dean never knew that one question could break his heart into a million pieces so easily.

"Of course not. Why would you think that?" Dean got up from where he was sitting and enveloped Sam in a tight hug.

"I just can't lose you too." Sam whispered. "I love you Dean."

Dean took a deep breath to keep from crying, "I love you too Sammy." They broke the hug and Dean smiled weakly at his little brother. "Everything will be okay. I promise."

Sam nodded and pulled Dean into one more brief hug the went to his room. Dean ran a hand through his hair. He needed to talk to someone. Anyone. His hand went to his pocket and pulled out his phone. His finger was pressing Castiel's name before he realized it.

"Cas?" He whispered when he picked up. "Can you... Are you busy? I need to talk to someone.."

"Dean, are you okay?" Concern filled Cas's voice and Dean felt guilty for worrying his friend.

"You know what, it's nothing, sorry to bother you I just kinda called without thinking-" Dean was going to hang up but Cas cut him off.

"Dean please, what's wrong? Do you want me to come over? We can talk."

"No.. No, I just." Dean didn't know what to say. "I need someone to talk to. You were the first person I thought of. I'm sorry-"

"Come over then." Cas insisted. "You can tell me anything." He promised.

Dean sighed. "Cas I really shouldn't-"

"Dean. It's okay. Just come over."

"You sure? I don't want to bother you. I was already at your house earlier. I'm just being stupid."

"Dean if you need to talk, I'm here." Cas insisted.

"Alright..." Dean wondered if would regret this. "I'll be over in a few minutes.."

"Okay Dean." Cas hung up abruptly and Dean suddenly felt weird. He was going to a friends house for emotional support and that freaked him out.

"Sammy? I'm going out but I'll be back in a while. Don't worry, I'm just gonna be with Cas." He said quietly to Sam, who he could tell was not really sleeping.Sam made a sound that Dean took as an okay so he got into his car and drive down to Castiel's.

Before he knocked on the door, he faltered. What was he doing there? He began wondering if calling Cas was a mistake. Before he could change his mind the door opened before him.

"Dean." Cas stated. "Come in, please." Dean walked in and Cas observed his every move.

"Thanks for this Cas, I just. My dad Is being an ass." Cas's eyes were full of worry.

"Sit down. Tell me what's wrong." He told Dean, who obeyed. Cas sat beside him on the couch. Dean took a deep breath before beginning.

"It's just, my dad got this job. And he'll be traveling a lot now, and it's like he's just running away from this. From anything that remind him of my mom. From this family." He felt his voice crack in the last word. "And it's hurting us. Hurting Sammy.. It's just, everything has fallen apart lately and there's no way to fix it."

Dean didn't know he was crying until Cas offered him a tissue.Dean wiped his eyes. "I know it's stupid, I just-"

"I don't think it's stupid." Cas looked Dean in the eyes, refusing to break eye contact. "You're heart is broken Dean. You've lost so much. There's nothing stupid about being upset about this."

Dean began crying again. "I'm sorry I came here." He choked out. "You shouldn't have to see me like this.. I should go-"

Cas grabbed Dean's wrist. "Please Dean. I want to help. It's not a problem. You're not bothering me. I just want to help you." He said quietly.

"Cas, you don't-"

"Dean, you were there for me. You were the only one who was there for me when those guys were picking on me. You helped me and now I'm going to help you because that's what friends do.."

Dean looked into Cas's eyes. They pleaded for Dean to stay. He saw something else in them. He couldn't quite recognize what it was but it made him want to stay.

"Thank you Cas." He whispered. Cas let go of Dean's wrist and he suddenly felt colder without Cas's touch. Dean wasn't sure why and it made him feel uneasy. They sat there in silence for a moment before Dean broke it.

"I miss her so damn much. She's kept us from falling apart. She was the rock in our family and now that she's gone, everything has gone to shit."

Cas nodded, absorbing every word.

"I sont know, she just held us together and now we're all just sort of broken pieces of what used to be a family.." A tear rolled down Dean's face, followed by another, and another.

Dean realized that he had been there for Sam and he'd been there for his father, but no one had ever been there for him. Until now.

Cas slowly, as if he were unsure if it was okay, put an arm around Dean, and held him closer. "You'll be okay Dean. Your family will slowly heal. Time will heal you," he whispered, and Dean believed him.

He knew that Cas was speaking from personal experience. Dean felt safer, calmer, in Castiel's arms. He knew it should have felt awkward but it didn't. Dean was too sad to care that he wasn't supposed to feel this comfortable with Cas. Dean just cried into his friend's shirt until the tears would no longer come.

"Thank you Cas." He mumbled into his shirt. "You're the only one who's been there to help me through this.."


	4. Chapter Four

Dean went home at around 11:30 after bidding Castiel goodbye and thanking him an obnoxious amount of times. As he pulled into the apartment parking lot a sudden realization hit him. He had just spent the last couple of hours crying into another dude's shirt.

A weird feeling bubbled in his chest. Why did it seem so natural? It almost frightened Dean to think about it. He quietly unlocked the door and entered the small place. He set his keys on the kitchen counter and headed strait to he and Sam's room.

Sam was sleeping soundly, which pleased Dean. Dean got straight into bed, not bothering to change into his pajamas. He stared up at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep.

Somehow, his mind kept wandering back to Cas and how much better he'd made Dean feel. He slowly drifted off into a restless sleep filled with images of fire and his mother until morning.

Dean's eyes flickered open as sunlight streamed in through the apartment's cheap blinds and hit his face. He groggily rubbed his eyes and noticed that Sam's bed was now empty.

Dean stretched and rolled out of bed, a chill running up his spine when his feet hit the cold bedroom floor. He wandered into the kitchen, finding Sam eating a bowl of lucky charms. "Dad's in the shower." He mumbled between bites.

"Yeah I heard it running." Dean replied, getting a bowl from the kitchen cabinet and grabbing the lucky charms bowl. "Hey there's none left!" He accused as Sam gave a guilty grin.

"Sorry, should've woken up sooner." Sam laughed. "You can have the prize." He joked. Dean rolled his eyes and poured a bowl of some whole grain crap he found in the cabinet.

"Okay boys." John's voice interrupted the brother's quiet breakfast. "I should get going. I'll be back by at least Wednesday, maybe sooner." Dean noted that it was Saturday now.

He hugged Sam, whispering something to him that made him smile a little, much to Dean's relief. He then walked over to Dean and hugged him as well. "Watch out for Sam alright? Don't get into any trouble."

Dean nodded as his father pulled away. "Love you guys. I'll see you in a few days." He said as he picked up a large duffel bag and grabbed his keys.

"Bye dad." The boys said in union as John went through the door, locking it begin him. Sam sighed.

"You gonna be okay, Sammy?" Dean asked. The boy nodded.

"Yeah.. I feel better than last night."

"Good." Dean grinned.

"Where did you even go last night?" Sam questioned as he put his bowl in the kitchen sink.

"I told you before I left." Said Dean, wanting to avoid thinking about last night. "I was out with Cas. Hanging out you know?"

Sam seemed to shrug it off, making Dean feel relieved. He did not want Sam to know he was just as, maybe even more, broken than he was.

Sam's phone began ringing from the boy's room and he ran to answer it. Dean cleaned their breakfast bowls and spoons, putting them back in their cabinets.

"Hey Dean, I wanna go to the movies with some of my friends? Is that alright?" Sam's head popped into the kitchen.

"Yeah, I guess." Dean shrugged. Sam smiled. "So who all are you going with?" Dean questioned. He wanted to be sure Michael wouldnt be making a guest appearance.

"Um, Anna, my friend Garth, and this girl Ruby. Don't worry, none of them are axe murders." He joked. Dean rolled his eyes at his brother's sass.

"Do I need to drive you?" Dean asked.

"Please?" Sam asked, giving Dean his best puppy dog look, a look that Dean hated Sam for using because nobody could say no to that.

"Alright, alright." He laughed. "Let me get my keys."

"Thanks Dean!" Sam grinned, pleased to have gotten what he wanted. Dean grabbed his phone, wallet, and keys before putting on his brown leather jacket.

"Ready Sammy?" He called and Sam quickly headed out the door with his brother. Dean would normally be annoyed by having to drive Sam places, but it helped him get his mind off if what was happening lately. After last night, mostly.

He didn't want to think about how nice it felt to have Cas's arms wrapped around him, or how he'd cried into his shirt. For these reasons, Dean wanted to keep himself occupied by other activities to keep his mind off of them.

"Alright Sammy." He said as he pulled up by the theatre. "See any of your friends?"

Sam nodded. "There's Ruby." He said, pointing to a girl with dark hair, pale skin, and red lipstick who was way out of Sam's league.

"Alright. Call me when when I should pick you up. You have money?"

"Okay, and yes. See ya later." Sam said as he got out of the car and walked towards Ruby, who smiled when she saw Sam.

Dean drove off, turning the music up. He pulled into the grocery store lot, as he needed to buy some necessary food before he and Sam starved to death. He only had a little money, but it would be enough to buy some milk, bread, and eggs.

As Dean was putting a carton of eggs into his basket he heard a familiar voice that made his stomach flip. "Hello Dean." Dean turned to face Cas, who had a cart full of food.

"Oh, hey Cas." Dean smiled, feeling embarrassed as he remembered his crying from the previous night. "What's up?"

"Grocery shopping. My mother needed me to get some things." He motioned to his cart.

"Yeah, we were almost out of food, so I came." Dean nodded. "How're you gonna get all of that stuff home?" He questioned, remembering that Cas didn't have a car.

"I'll carry it." He shrugged. Cas didnt live that far, but it was still a pretty long walk in Dean's opinion.

"Want me to give you a ride? I don't wanna let you walk all the way home with all that," Dean offered, especially because Castiel's cart was very full.

"It's fine Dean. It's not that far." He shrugged.

"C'mon, it's no problem." Dean honestly didn't want to be alone with Cas where he could bring up the events of last night, but he was as sure as hell not gonna let the guy walk all the way home with so many groceries.

"Thank you Dean." Cas smiled, making Dean feel better. He was glad that Cas accepted his invitation. The two checked out their stuff and walked out to Dean's car, Dean helping Cas carry some bags.

As they got in, Dean said nothing, turning on the car. Cas shifted in his seat a little, not saying anything. Dean turned down his radio a bit, not sure if Cas was into the same music as he was.

They drove in silence for a while before Cas finally spoke. "So how're you Dean? I mean, after-"

"I don't really wanna talk about it." Dean said quickly, his hands gripping the wheel tighter.

Cas pursed his lips. "Dean, I just want to make sure you're okay." He said quietly, sounding a bit offended by Dean cutting him off.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I'm actually feeling a lot better, I just, I dont know, last night was kind of weird."

Cas cocked his head. "Weird?" He questioned.

"Look I don't really know how to explain it. Can we just forget about it?" He asked hopefully.

Cas sighed, still not satisfied with Dean's answer. "I suppose." He said quietly. Dean pulled into Cas's driveway and he stopped the car.

"Cas." He said before the guy could get out. "I'm sorry for being a jerk, I just kinda wanna forget about last night. I was in a bad place but you really helped. Thank you for that." He said, trying to lighten the mood.

Cas weakly smiled. "I'm always here if you need me. It's not like I have many friends after all." He joked.

Dean gave Cas a small smile, feeling bad about being Cas's only friend, but also feeling kind of special in a weird way. He helped his friend carry the groceries into his house.

Cas's mom was busy working on something on her laptop. Dean noticed that she was wearing a cross around her neck.

"Oh hello." She gave a forced looking smile, glancing up from the screen. "I didn't know you had friends coming over, hon."

"Oh, Dean just offered me a ride home from the store. He was there as well." Cas explained. Dean gave a smile smile and nod.

"Sorry to bother you, I'll just help Cas put this stuff away and I'll be out f your hair."

"Oh don't worry honey." Mrs. Novak smiled. "You're no bother, stay as long as you like. Cas hadn't had friends over in... well, a while."

Cas gave his mom a strange look and she shot him a look that Dean couldn't exactly decipher. He helped his friend finish putting away the food.

"I should go home, I've got food in the car." He said. "Wanna come over and hang out for a while?" He asked Cas, not exactly feeling like Cas wanted to stay here with his mother.

Cas nodded. "That sounds good. Is that alright?" His mother nodded and Cas seemed relieved. Dean gave him a questioning look but said nothing.

As soon as the Impala's doors closed Dean could talk. "What was that about?"

"What do you mean?" Cas cocked his side like he always did when he was confused.

"Are you and your mom in a fight or something?" He asked, starting the car and pulling into the street. Cas shook his head.

"She's been like that ever since my father- well ever since we moved here. She's never really happy. She's always so cold. I think she just misses him." Cas explained. "I just wish I had my old mom back."

"Is that why she's thrown herself into all of that religious stuff?" Dean questioned, just curious.

"Actually, no. We've always been a very religious family. Anna and I are even named after angels." He told Dean, who was suddenly quite interested in Cas's family history.

He'd never heard of an angel name Castiel but he didn't say anything. That's why his name was so strange. An angel. Dean liked the idea that Cas was named after an Angel. It suited him.

They got to the apartment and Dean was suddenly quite embarrassed that Cas was going to see their dirty apartment and not their once well kept, warm home. He bit his lip as he unlocked the door.

"Lemme put this stuff away." He said as he walked through the small hallway into the tiny kitchen. He quickly put his groceries in the fridge and cabinets, aware that Cas was watching him.

"Sorry this place is a mess," he said quickly, hoping Cas wasn't judging him too hard.

"It's not a mess, really Dean. Don't worry about it." Cas assured Dean. Dean wasn't sure if he should believe him or not, but decided he could and moved on.

"So what do you wanna do? We could watch a movie or go somewhere, or whatever you feel like doing," Dean suggested. He had the sudden realization that he had never hung out with Cas to do much other than schoolwork.

Cas shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. Anything sounds fine to me. I've never actually "hung out" with anyone before." He admitted.

Dean sighed. "Let's just watch TV then?"

Castiel nodded. "That sounds nice." They sat beside one another on the small, dusty couch, and Dean flipped through some channels, picking a Tv show he thought Cas would enjoy.

Cas seemed to become very emotionally invested in the show, humoring Dean. A commercial came on and Cas lost interest, focusing his attention again on his friend.

"It's like you've never watched TV before." Dean joked.

"Of course I have.." Cas muttered. "Just not in a long time."

"Why?" Dean questioned.

Cas sighed. "My mother thinks it's evil and makes us become sinners. She took it away after my father- you know... About a year and a half ago." He added quietly.

Dean frowned. "Well that stinks man. You can come over here to watch TV whenever you want." He promised. Cas gave him a soft smile.

"You're very kind Dean."

Dean shrugged. "Hey, I just wanna be a good friend." He said. More than that, though, Dean felt the need to be Cas's best friend. Cas smiled again and Dean's phone began ringing.

"Oh shoot. I forgot about Sammy." He mumbled, pulling the phone from his jacket pocket. "Hey Sam. Oh.... Okay... No problem. Call me though." He said. Cas's phone began ringing too, and Dean could only assume it was Anna. Cas walked into the kitchen to answer and Dean could hear him quietly talking.

"Alright Sammy, have fun." He hung up, glancing at Cas who was shutting his phone.

"Sam wanted to go to Ruby's house with some friends. Anna's probably there too," Dean told Cas.

Cas looked panicked, his eyes wide, staring at his phone in disbelief.

"Cas what's wrong?" Dean searched his eyes for some kind of clue. Cas looked like he was about to pass out and Dean reached out and grabbed his shoulders to hold him steady, guiding him towards the couch.

"Hey, man what's up? Who was on the phone?" Dean was still holding Cas's arm as they sat down.

"That.. That was my father...." Cas said shakily. "My father just called me." He whispered before a tear spilled out onto his face.


	5. Chapter Five

"What do you mean your dad called you?" Dean questioned.

Cas pursed his lips for a moment. "Just now.. That was him.."

"Well what did he want?" Dean suddenly felt angry. Angry because Cas's dad had no right to be calling his son. Not after abandoning him and everything he put him through.

"He told me that he wanted to see me. He wants to see Anna and I."

"Well you didn't say yes did you? He left you, Cas. I know you probably miss him, but he doesn't deserve to be in your life again. Not after what he did to you."

"I know, I know. I told him that it would be a bad idea. I told him not to call again," Cas whispered. "I can't tell my mother this happened. Or Anna." Cas looked a little worried. "Oh my-" Cas looked as if he had a terrible realization. "Why if he tries to call Anna, Dean?"

Cas looked as if he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He ran his hands through his hair and stared at the ground with his head in his hands. "What am I supposed to do, Dean?" He whispered. "I thought I didn't have to worry about him anymore.." He was shaking and Dean put a cautious hand on his back. "What if he finds us?"

"Hey, you don't have to worry about him. It'll be okay, if he calls just don't answer. Block him from your phones if you have to. He doesn't know where you moved, right? He can't find you Cas." Dean promised. "If he really cared about you then he wouldn't have walked out on you in the first place."

Dean heard Cas sniffle and the guy sat up. He wiped his eyes and pursed his lips. "I just wish everything could be normal again." He whispered. "He left over a year ago..."

Dean felt a pang of sorrow for his friend. "Hey, Cas." He wrapped an arm around his friend, just as Cas had done for him. "Everything's going to work out. That man is not coming back. He's not going to find you. He's not going to screw up your life anymore. I won't let him." He promised.

"Can I tell you something Dean?"

"Of course, Cas."

"My Dad didn't really walk out on us." Cas whispered shakily. "My mom kicked him out after he started-" Cas choked on his words, tears building up in his eyes. "He hit us a lot," he explained sadly. "Not so much Anna as me though. He hated me the most."  

Tears were streaming down Castiel's cheeks and something in Dean snapped. That bastard was not coming near Cas again. "That son of a bitch." Dean muttered under his breath.

Cas's body was shaking in Dean's arm so he wrapped his other arm around him too, and they just sat there, Cas slowly calming down and Dean comforting him. "That ass-hole is never coming near you again Cas. If he does, I swear-"

The apartment door suddenly clicked open and Cas's head, which was buried in Dean's shirt, shot up. Dean let go of Cas, whose eyes were still puffy and red. Dean did a mental face palm as Sam walked in with questioning eyes.

"Hey guys.." He said as he walked in. "What's up?" He asked awkwardly.

"Hey Sammy, we were just uh, watching tv. How'd you get home?" Dean asked, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Ruby drives. By the way, Castiel, Anna is getting a ride home from her, too," Sam explained.

Cas nodded and Dean hoped Sam couldn't tell that Cas had been crying. "Well I'm just gonna go read..." Sam said and quickly exited the living room.

Dean knew he could tell something wasn't right and just wasn't saying anything. He heard Sam's room click shut and Cas let out a sigh.

"I should probably get home. I need to block my father's number from calling Anna... My mother will be wondering where I've been."

Dean nodded. "Alright. Promise me you won't give in and see him?"

"I promise Dean." Cas gave him a weak smile. "I will call you if he calls again."

Dean gave Cas a pat on the back. "See ya Monday."

Cas suddenly wrapped his arms around Dean, who was taken aback by it. He hugged back for a moment, warmth spreading throughout his body. He didn't want Cas to let go. He didn't want Cas to leave. He wanted him to stay here where Dean could protect him.

"Thank you Dean." Cas whispered before pulling away. "Please don't tell anyone what I said about my dad hurting us.. Promise me you won't."

"I promise Cas." Dean felt colder without Cas's touch and longed to be in his arms again. He quickly shook the feeling away. What was happening to him? Something in his stomach flipped and his chest felt tight.

"Want me to drive you home?" He managed to get out. "It's just two blocks, I'll be fine." Cas said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, don't worry Dean." He assured him.

"Alright, bye Cas." As soon as Cas left, Dean closed the door and leaned his back up against it, taking a deep breath.

The feeling he had hugging Cas scared the shit out of him. His heart was racing and he felt as if his head was spinning. He slid down the door, sat on the hard wood floor and ran his hands through his hair. Sam's door clicked open and Dean quickly jumped up from the ground.

"Okay tell me what's up? Why was Cas crying?" Sam demanded as he walked over to Dean.

"He wasn't crying-"

"Dean I'm not stupid, just tell me! Is it Michael or something?"

Dean took a deep breath. "Look, I really can't tell you. I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone. Please just drop it Sammy." He pleaded. "I can't tell anyone.."

Sam sighed. "Whatever man."

No matter what, Dean's feelings toward Castiel continued creeping up on him for the rest of the day, which the brothers spent watching Tv.

He needed to talk to someone. But tell them what? That he had feelings for the weird kid? That he felt overly protective of a guy? He wasn't even sure what kind of feelings they were exactly. All he knew was that he wanted to be with Castiel, near him, close to him, and keep him safe. Especially from his dead beat ass-hole of a father, which Dean was still mad about.

Who the hell could treat their kid like that? Dean was terrified of what this feeling meant. The one person he could think of telling about it was his mother. He would tell his mother anything. But she wasn't there.

The boys went to bed at eleven after an embarrassing marathon of Dr. sexy MD that Dean would never admit to have watched. Dean curled up under his covers and tried to keep his mind off of Cas. He tried not to think about the way he felt holding Cas in his arms, or the way the light in Cas's eyes died at any mention of his father.

Dean tried not think of how he wanted to keep Cas safe, or how he wished Cas was there with him. He couldn't help it though, and he fell into a sleep that contained dreams of he and Cas.

And when Dean woke up to his phone blasting classic rock, seeing Cas's name on the caller I.D made his heart stop for a moment, because Cas wouldn't call this late unless there was something important happening.

He pressed answer, "Cas?"


	6. Chapter Six

 

Dean answered the phone.

"Dean? Dean he's here. My Dad. He found us. He must have traced the call or something, I don't know," Cas's panic filled voice came through the phone. 

"Cas, slow down." Dean said quietly as he tip toed out of the bedroom. "What do you mean he's here? At your house? Are you in trouble?"

Dean could hear Cas's breathing through the phone. "Dean he's outside my house.. He's just sitting in his car. Anna and I are alone here, Dean. My mom went out of town for business earlier this afternoon. What if he tries to hurt Anna?" He whispered.

"I won't let him hurt you guys. I promise. He's probably waiting till morning to see you so stay inside. Don't let him see you through any windows." Dean took a deep breath.

"What happens when morning comes? What do we do?" Cas asked nervously.

Dean hated hearing Cas like this. "Is there any way you and Anna can sneak out through the back door without him seeing?"

"Yes... Maybe. I'm pretty sure we could make it out."

"Okay. Come over here. You can stay the night. In the morning you and I can go and deal with your dad." Dean planned.

"Okay, thank you so much Dean." Cas's low voice whispered.

"Of course, Cas."

Cas hung up and Dean began feeling nervous. What if their dad saw them leave? What if he tried to stop them or kidnap them? He paced back and forth in the kitchen, waiting for the Novak siblings to knock on his door.

A light tapping on it made Dean let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God you two are okay." He whispered as he opened the door. Anna was trembling and her eyes were puffy. Cas had an arm around her and led her inside.

"Anna why don't you get some sleep?" Cas suggested. "We'll figure out everything in the morning." He told her.

"You can have my bed." Dean told the girl, deciding that he could just sleep on the living room floor.

"Thank you." She said softly and sniffled. Dean showed her to he and Sammy's room. He brought in a new blanket and pillow, assuming she probably wouldn't want to use the same ones as him.

He met Cas back in the kitchen. "So what do you want to do about this?" Dean asked, leaning up against the counter.

Cas had his head down. "I don't know Dean.."

"I think, first thing in the morning, you and me go back to your house and show him that he can't mess with your family ever again."

Cas took a shaky breath and nodded. "A-Alright." He whispered. Dean gave Castiel a weak smile.

"It's gonna be okay, Cas. I promise."

"Thank you so much Dean. I can never repay you for this."

"Hey, Cas. That's the last thing you need to worry about. It's no problem at all." Dean assured him. "Let's get a few hours of sleep." Dean suggested.

Cas nodded and yawned. Dean let Cas take the couch and he laid his blanket and pillow on the floor for himself after giving Cas some extra blankets and a pillow.

"Get some rest okay?" Dean whispered as he curled up on the ground. He watched Cas, who looked extremely peaceful asleep. Or at least, pretending to sleep. Dean noticed Cas sniffle and he swore he saw a tear fall down his face.

Dean wasn't going to say anything until Cas hiccuped with a sob. "Cas," Dean whispered sadly, sitting up.

Cas wiped his eyes and sat up. "I'm sorry.." He whispered, still crying.

"Hey, don't be sorry Cas. I get it. He's your dad." Dean got up and sat beside Cas. "It's gonna be okay, though." He instinctively wrapped his arms around Cas and let him cry.

Cas held onto Dean, gripping his shirt. Dean whispered comforting things to him, trying to soothe his friend. In that moment Dean had a realization. He would do anything for Cas. Cas had suddenly become such a huge part of his life and he wanted to help him through anything. He held him a little closer.

After a while, Cas became heavy against Dean, fast asleep. Dean gently laid Cas down and went back to the floor, feeling emptier without Cas against him. "Goodnight Cas." He whispered and drifted off to sleep himself.

Dean woke up to Sam standing over him. He groaned and stretched. "What are they doing here, Dean?" Sam asked in a panicky voice.

Dean yawned and it took him a second to remember the events of last night. "Oh, right.. Them." He mumbled. "Their Dad was trying to find them so they came here last night. You were already asleep."

Sam opened his mouth, ready to ask about a thousand questions, when Cas groaned and stretched out.

"Morning Cas." Dean said, and Cas yawned, taking in his surroundings.

"Morning." He grumbled, sitting up. "You too Sam." He nodded to Sam.

"Is someone going to tell me what's happening?" Sam demanded.

"Nope." Dean said. "Now listen, Cas and I have to go take care of something. If Anna wakes up offer her some breakfast and you can ask her what happened because it's not my place to tell you." He said seriously.

Sam nodded. Dean let Cas borrow a pair of pants and a shirt, since he was only in his PJs. "Ready to go?" Dean asked.

"Not really.." Cas answered truthfully. "But let's go."

"Alright. And don't worry, I'm not gonna let him hurt you." Dean assured Cas. They climbed into the Impala and drove down the road to Cas's house.

As expected, his Dad's car was still parked in the front, it's occupant sleeping in the backseat. Dean parked on the other side of the street.

"Ready?" Dean asked. Cas took a deep breath and nodded.

"What are we going to say?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to tell him to stay the hell away from you and your family or there's going to be a problem." Dean said a bit angrily.

Cas pursed his lips. "Let's go." He said, opening his door. They stepped outside and Dean slammed his door shut, trying to be as loud as possible in hopes of waking Cas's father.

It worked, as his head popped up from the backseat. Cas was frozen for a moment, paralyzed from seeing his dad for the first time in over a year. He quickly became mad though, as he and Dean stormed over to the car.

Cas's father quickly opened the door and got out of his car. "Castiel!" He smiled. "It's so good to see you, son." He stepped forward to embrace his son, but Dean stepped in front of Cas, blocking his way.

"We're not here for a family reunion," Dean spoke angrily. "What makes you think you can just show up and expect to be a part of their lives again? Especially after what you did to them!" He was yelling now.

Cas's father glared at Dean. "Who are you? You have no business telling me if I'm allowed to be with my family."

"Father." Cas stepped toward his father, standing beside Dean. "You need to leave us alone. You can't be here. You're not welcome back. You lost us the day you changed!" He exclaimed angrily.

"Well, Castiel. You have certainly changed a lot since I've left. Not the crying baby I remember the day I was told to leave." His father taunted.

"Leave him alone!" Dean said, moving a little closer to Cas.

"And you," Cas's father turned his attention back to Dean. "What are you, his boyfriend? Have you really gone that far, Castiel? It makes me sick!"

"Shut up!" Dean yelled. Cas looked as if he was on the verge of tears. "Now listen to me, if you don't leave this family alone, I'm calling the authorities. Or maybe, I might even just deal with you myself." Dean threatened.

"I'm not scared of you kid. You may think you're tough, but I can tell that you're just as messed up as the rest of us. Now why don't you just shut the hell up and let us work this out like a family?" Cas's father took an intimidating step toward Dean.

"Stop!" Cas yelled. "Stop it, you are no longer any father of mine. You have done nothing but destroy this family! I will not be discussing anything with you. We came here to give you an ultimatum. Leave us alone or the police are getting involved!"

Cas's father grabbed Cas's wrist. "Do not use that tone with me." He threatened. Dean snapped and he pushed the guy away from Cas, causing him to hit his car.

"Do not touch him you son of a bitch. I will kill you if you touch him again, I swear to god." Dean said angrily.

"Well would you look at that? My son's boyfriend is all big and bad. Wouldn't want to mess with him would I?" He mocked.

"Shut up!" Cas said again, looking frazzled.

"Castiel, this isn't you! You're choosing this stranger you've known for what? A couple of months? Over me, your father? This family can start over."

Cas shook his head. "No. You lost your chance a long time ago. I choose Dean, and I choose my family." He stated. "Stay the hell away from us. I never want to see you again."

The man lunged at Cas, grabbing his arm tightly, cutting off blood flow. Cas winced in pain as his father slapped his face.

"Do not talk to me like that!" The man yelled angrily.

Dean wrestled the man away from Cas, prying his fingers off of his arm. "I told you not to touch him!" Dean pushed the man to the ground. "Cas, my phone's in the car, call for help." He said quickly.

"Dean-"

"Now Cas!" Dean yelled, causing Cas to run to baby.

"Don't you dare, I will kill you both!" The man yelled, pulling himself up to run towards Cas.

Dean stopped him, pulling him back. "Stay away from him, god dammit!" Dean punched the guy in the nose, and he tried to punch back, Dean barely dodging it.

He saw Cas talking nervously on the phone and relief washed over him. They were going to be okay. This man was going to be behind bars soon.

Cas's father threw another punch, this one hitting Dean's jaw. He cringed and pushed the man off of him again. Cas came running from baby and pulled his father away from Dean.

"Don't hurt him!" He screamed.

"Cas go back to the car!" Dean yelled, but Cas wouldn't.

Dean heard sirens approaching, and Cas's dad tried to run. Dean pulled him down, keeping him pinned to the ground before a police officer came running over. The officer quickly put handcuffs on the man and dragged him away to a car.

Another one came over to ask the boys questions. They told her everything and she called Ms. Novak to inform her of the day's events. Cas talked with his mother on the phone for a few minutes before walking back over to Dean.

"I'm sorry I got you into this, Dean." He apologized. "I would understand if you don't want to be friends anymore."

Dean gave Cas a questioning look. "Why would I go through all of that for someone I didn't want to be friends with?" He asked."Cas, don't ever apologize for stuff like this. I'm just glad he's gone. You're safe now. You and Anna and your mother are all going to be okay."

The police began clearing away and soon they were the only two left on the side of the road.

"Thank you so much Dean." Cas suddenly embraced Dean again, reminding him of every other time he'd held Cas in his arms like this. He hugged Cas and they just stayed there like that for a moment.

"I love you." Cas said quietly. Dean froze, a strange feeling creeping up inside of him. He didn't know what to do. What to say.

He hugged Cas a little tighter, hoping that would say something that he couldn't out loud. Cas had just told him that he loved him. Castiel loved Dean and the realization suddenly hit Dean like a ton of bricks.

Dean pulled away from their hug and stared into Cas's eyes. His eyes were so blue, so incredibly blue that Dean was practically drowning in them.

Cas looked worried and Dean grabbed the guy's face. Without thinking, he kissed Cas square on the mouth.

Dean felt a million things. Hope, fear, passion, and warmth spreading through his body all the way to his toes. He felt complete for a moment, tasting Cas against his lips.

They pulled away, both looking absolutely terrified of what just happened. Dean's mind began to race. Did he really just kiss Cas? A dude? And like it? Did he want to do it again?

He felt scared for a moment, but his fears were interrupted by Castiel's lips colliding with his again. He wrapped his arms around Cas, wanting him to be closer. If he had any doubts, they were slowly melting away with this kiss. The kiss felt like so much more than anything Dean had ever felt before.

They separated again, and Dean pressed his forehead to Cas's. "Is this okay?" Cas whispered, looking unsure if himself.

"I'm terrified actually, but yeah. Something about you Cas, well shit, man, you've changed everything." He admitted with a small, nervous giggle.

Cas smiled and Dean returned it, gabbing Cas's hand in his own. "You should know this is all new to me, Dean. I mean, relationships and all.." Cas said shyly.

"Me too, well at least, with a guy..." He took a nervous breath. "It's okay, though." He squeezed Cas's hand and they walked back to the Impala.

"So do you think we should keep this quiet for now?" Dean asked after they sat there for a moment. "Just until we're... you know, more used to everything. Is that okay?"

"Of course Dean. I know, I mean, you've always dated girls and that this is all new to you. This is what you want, right? I mean, you want me?" He asked quietly.

"I do, Cas. At first, I didn't understand. I mean... I had these strange feelings but now I'm sure. I want this Cas. I want you." He said reassuringly. "I promise."

Cas smiled, making Dean's heart melt a little. How had he never let himself see how perfect his smile was before? They drove back in comfortable silence, everything okay now.

Sure, they were going to have to explain what had happened to the Novak's father to Anna, and they had to worry about who to tell about them, but for now Dean just wanted to forget that and be happy for just a moment.

The only thing he could wonder was how he couldn't realize his feelings sooner.

 


	7. Chapter Seven

Dean unlocked the apartment and Anna quickly ran up to Cas and wrapped her thin arms around him. "I was worried." She said quietly.

Cas hugged her back and smiled. "It's alright, Anna. Dad's gone. We called the police. He went to jail."

She let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Does mom know?" She asked.

Cas nodded. "She's glad we did what's best." He assured her. "We should be getting home now."

Dean nodded. "Alright, Cas. Want me drive you guys?"

"It's fine, we'll walk." Cas said. Anna began walking down the hall toward the stairs but Cas lingered for a moment. "Thank you again, Dean. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Dean smiled. He actually felt happy for the first time in months. After making sure Sam couldnt see them, they hugged. "Later, Cas." Dean said happily before giving Cas a quick kiss on the lips, making Cas smile.

Dean shut the door and went to find Sam. "Anna explained everything?" He asked his brother.

"Yeah. I understand why you couldn't tell me before," he said. "So you got Mr. Novak arrested?"

Dean nodded. "That ass-hole deserves it. They're so much better off without him." _________________________________

Dean woke up the next morning with a strange new feeling. He was excited. For school, no. But to see Castiel, yes.

He pulled on a pair of jeans and his favorite shirt, remembering that Cas still had the one he lent him. Part of Dean wanted Cas to wear the shirt today, but he knew better. Cas would probably try to return it.

He put on his sneakers and his brown leather jacket. Sam was already awake and Dean could smell something cooking. He walked into the kitchen to find Sammy making scrambled eggs.

"Want some?" Sam asked. "Sure man. Thanks." Dean agreed, getting two plates down from the cabinet. Sam scraped some eggs onto each plate and they sat to eat. They ate in comfortable silence, before grabbing their bags and climbing into Baby.

Dean drove them to school, playing his music loud, laughing at Sam's anger towards his music taste. Once they parked, Sam left right away. "I've gotta meet Garth and Anna before first. See ya later, Dean." He called, quickly walking away.

Dean grinned at Sam before locking his car and throwing his keys in his backpack.

"Hi Dean." Cas's voice startled Dean from behind and he turned to greet him.

"Hey," He smiled. Cas dug around in his bag for a minute before pulling out a nicely folded T-Shirt.

"I brought you your shirt back. Oh and your jeans. Thank you for letting me borrow them," he said, handing them to Dean.

Dean took his jeans back, stuffing them inside his bag. "I want you to keep the shirt, Cas." Dean said. "I mean.. If you want to."

"Are you sure Dean?"

"Of course," Dean insisted.

Cas smiled. "Thank you."

Dean hoped that Cas would wear it. They walked to art together. Dean wanted to grab Cas's hand, but he knew he shouldn't. Not yet anyway. Their relationship was too new. He didn't want to display it yet.

Instead he walked close to Cas, like a good friend kind of distance. They sat at their stools and were told to draw their heroes for the next assignment.

Dean instantly began drawing his mother. He must have drawn her at least a hundred times for this class, but he didn't care.

He spent a long time on it, not yet completing the project by the end of the period.

"If you haven't finished this it will become your homework," said the teacher. Dean shrugged and neatly put his drawing in a folder.

"What did you draw?" He asked Cas, after realizing he never saw it. Cas shook his head.

"You don't get to see it until it's done, he smiled.

The two didn't have anymore classes together but they sat together at lunch. Not alone of course, Dean's usual group of friends was still there.

"Hey guys." Charlie said when they sat down together. "How was your weekend?" Cas shifted uncomfortably beside Dean.

"It was fine." Dean said quickly. "Nothing much happened." He lied.

Cas nodded. "Same here."

The group made small talk for a while until the bell rang. The remainder of the school day was entirely uneventful. When the final bell of the day rang, Dean knew he had to stay and wait a while for Sam to get out of who knows what club.

He made his way to the library, where Cas was already setting his binder on a table. "Hey Cas," he grinned, glad that nobody else was in the library but a Librarian with her nose in a book.

"Hi Dean," Cas said happily, pulling a sheet of paper out of his binder. "I'm going to finish my drawing."

"Yeah me too. And I still want to see yours," Dean reminded Cas.

"When it's done!" Cas assured him. Dean rolled his eyes but scooted his chair a little bit closer to Cas. They worked in silence for a while, both concentrating on their work.

Dean finished his drawing first, showing it to Castiel. "Dean it's beautiful," he whispered. "Your mother would love it." He said, resting a hand on Dean's knee, and causing chills to run up Dean's spine.

"Thanks Cas. Now when can I see yours?" He complained.

"It's just about done," Cas promised as Dean tucked his drawing back into it's folder. "Here." Cas handed Dean his paper shyly.

Dean was taken aback by it. He easily recognized the familiar green eyes and the freckles on the drawing's face. It was him. A drawing of Dean, leaning up against his Impala, laughing about something.

"Cas.." Dean spoke quietly. "This is-" he couldn't find the right words.

"You don't like it?" Cas whispered, a look of hurt registering across his face.

"No, no that's not it, it's just, am I really your hero?" Dean asked.

"Of course Dean. Who else would it be? You mean the world to me."

A smile spread itself across Dean's face. Grabbing Cas's hand he said, "I love this, Cas."

Castiel smiled, making Dean feel extremely happy to have caused it. "Thank you," he said quietly. "You don't mind if I turn it in?" He asked.

"Not at all." Dean grinned. He knew it would be a bit awkward for the teacher to find out about them but it didn't seem like a big deal. Cas put it back in his binder and placed it neatly in his bag.

"Ready to go?" Dean asked. Cas nodded and Dean grabbed his hand. Cas gave him a look that asked if this was okay but Dean gave his hand a slight squeeze to let him know that it was. They walked hand-in-hand all the way to baby.

Dean let Cas's hand go when he heard kids talking, and saw Sam and Anna approaching. All four of them piled into Dean's car and he drove to the Novaks place.

When he pulled into the Novak's drive Cas reminded Dean, "I still have your Calculus textbook here. Would you like to come in and get it so you can do your homework?"

"Oh yeah. Just a minute Sammy. That okay?"

"Yeah." Sam said from the backseat. Anna bid Sam a goodbye and got out of the car, followed by Cas and Dean.

Dean followed Cas through his house and into his room. Dean noticed how organized it was. The only messy thing was his homework desk, which was covered in papers and books.

Cas picked up Dean's calculus book and handed it to Dean. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Dean said, taking it from him. "I better get going. Sam's waiting in the car.."

Cas nodded. "Of course."

The two walked back to his front door together, and after making sure neither sibling was in sight, Dean leaned in and kissed Cas, whose lips were soft and welcoming. They both smiled into the kiss and pulled away.

"See ya tomorrow, Cas," Dean grinned.

"You too, Dean." Cas was blushing and looked extremely happy.

"I'll text you tonight." Dean promised before giving Cas another peck on the lips and turning to leave. He walked back to the car, where Sam was reading his book again, but put it down when Dean opened his door. He gave Dean a questioning look.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Nothing," Sam said quickly. Dean gave him a suspicious glance and pulled out of the driveway. When they arrived home, Sam went strait to their bedroom and Dean decided to make something for dinner.

He made some spaghetti since they had some noodles and sauce in the pantry. While it was cooking, he started on his Calculus homework and texted Cas. Not about anything particularly. They just texted for a while.

When the spaghetti was done Dean called Sam. "Hey, food's ready Sammy!" Sam came running in and grabbed a bowl.

"Yay, I'm starving," he said, piling noodles into his bowl. Dean got his own bowl and they sat to eat on the couch, watching some weird Gameshow called "Nutcracker" or something like that

"Who do you keep texting?" Sam asked after Dean answered his phone for what seemed to Sam like the hundredth time.

"Why don't you mind your own business shorty?" Dean joked.

"It's Castiel, isn't it?" Sam accused.

"What makes you think that?" Dean asked suspiciously. Sam began laughing. Dean furrowed his brows. "What?" Dean demanded.

"Oh come on, Dean!" Sam said. "You know what in talking about."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, dude. Now why don't you go to bed or something?" Sam rolled his eyes and stood up. He was almost out of the room when he turned back to Dean for a moment.

"You know you can tell me anything Dean. I wouldn't think differently of you no matter what." He said seriously before leaving.

Something in Dean's chest knotted. The problem was not Sam knowing. Or his close friends. He knew those people would all still treat him the same.

No, the problem was his father and Cas's religious mother who probably frowned upon this sort of thing. The problem was their classmates, who would jump at the chance to make fun of Dean Winchester for something. The problem was that he didn't want Cas to endure any bullying or hate that would come his way.

He ran his hands through his hair and sighed. He texted Cas.

Dean: I want to tell Sam. I think he kinda already knows but is it ok if I tell him

Cas: Of course, Dean. I think I might tell Anna tonight. Not my mother, though. Not yet.

Dean: Okay, thanks! I'm not telling my father yet either. I hope it goes well with Anna. See ya tomorrow, then.

Cas: Goodnight Dean.

Dean: Night Cas :)

Dean sighed and locked his phone. He was going to tell Sam. He went into their room, where Sam was reading his book.

"Hey Sammy. You're right. I do have to tell you something.." Sam looked up in surprise and put his book down. Dean sat next to Sam on his bed.

"So, you might already know or whatever, but Cas and I are... uh... Well I guess you could call us a couple?" He looked at Sam.

"I knew it!" Sam whispered. "Why didn't you want to tell me?"

"I dunno, man. It's complicated right now. Just, please don't tell anyone about it? Were gonna wait until we're ready.."

Sam smiled and nodded. "I promise I won't tell. Does Anna know?" Dean nodded.

"Cas said he was gonna tell her tonight." He paused. "So you're okay with this?"

"Of course Dean! I'm so happy for you guys." Sam smiled. He hugged Dean. "I'm glad you're finally happy." Dean hugged his brother tight before breaking away.

"No chick flick moments dude." He laughed. Dean climbed into his own bed and fell asleep with a smile plastered on his face, glad that Sam was okay with this.

On Wenesday of that week, Dean pulled Cas to the side when he dropped him off at home. Sam was still in the car, and Anna had already gone inside.

"I think we should tell our friends tomorrow. About us." He said, hoping that Cas would agree.

"I would love to, Dean." He said with a small smile. "I was uh, actually planning on telling my mother soon.. I mean, maybe she won't approve but I want her to know."

"Of course, Cas. My Dad should be home now, but I'm not gonna tell him right away, you know?" Dean asked, hoping Cas would understand. Dean was actually terrified of what his father would think of this.

"I understand, Dean. What about school? When can we- I mean it's fine, I just.." He stuttered on his words.

Dean realized that Cas really wanted people to know about he and Dean. He wanted people to know that Dean was his.

"Soon, Cas. I promise. How about I'll tell my Dad tonight? I mean, I don't know how he'll take it but at least he'll know. Then we can talk about school okay?" He asked, grabbing Cas's hands in his own, well aware that Sam was probably watching them.

Cas smiled. "You'd really tell him tonight?" Cas asked happily.

"Of course Cas." Dean said, squeezing Cas's hands. Cas leaned up to kiss Dean. It was short but still made Dean feel weak against Cas's touch.

"I'll talk to you later tonight then?" Cas asked.

"Yeah." Dean smiled, hugging Cas before saying goodbye. When he opened the car Sam made a gagging noise and Dean rolled his eyes, laughing.

"Ready to see Dad?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "What are you gonna tell him?"

"The truth." Dean said. "I don't care what he says. I just want him to know."

Sam nodded. "He won't care, he'll treat you the same. It's Dad, he'll love us no matter what."

Dean smiled, even though he wasn't too sure any of it was true. When they opened their door, they were instantly greeted by John.

"Hey boys!" He said. "Miss me?" He joked.

"Hey Dad." Dean said.

"Dad!" Sam said happily. "How was your trip?"

 "Pretty good. Everything went well. I have another one that I gotta leave for in a week, but you're stuck with me until then."

"I've gotta work on some homework." Sam said. "I'll be in our room."

"Alright," John said. "I'm gonna start dinner."

"Want any help?" Dean offered.

"Wow, you're offering to help with dinner? You feeling okay?" John joked.

Dean forced a laugh. "Just wanted to help," He insisted.

"Alright, then. I'm thinking grilled cheese and tomato soup?" John suggested.

"Sounds good," Dean said, pulling out six slices of bread. They worked in silence for a moment. Dean knew he needed to tell his father, but fear bubbled up inside him. He might not get another chance to be alone with his father tonight, and he promised Castiel. He took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Dad. I've gotta tell you something. It's uh, kinda important."

"You didn't get anyone pregnant did you?" John joked.

Dean laughed nervously. "No, Dad. Please just... This is really important to me."

"Alright, alright. What's up Dean?" John asked seriously. Dean took a deep breath.

"Okay so you know my friend Cas?" John nodded, listening. "So um, we were hanging out this weekend.. I've realized that..." Dean sighed.

He had no idea how to tell his Dad any of this. "Dad, Castiel and I are dating." He said quickly.

John looked at his son for a moment, surprised by what Dean had just told him.

"I understand if you're.. disappointed or something but it doesn't change things... I really like him and-"

"Dean, why would I be disappointed?" John interrupted, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "You're my son. I support you. You can't control how you feel about someone. I'm happy as long as you're happy."

Dean let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks Dad. Cas does make me really happy," he admitted.

John patted his son on the back. "I'm glad you told me, son. Does Sam know? The kids at school?"

"Sammy knows. We're telling our friends tomorrow but we're not sure about the whole school knowing yet.." Dean shrugged.

John nodded. "It looks like the food's ready. Wanna get your brother?" Dean went and got Sam. They ate dinner, catching up on the last few days. Of course, they left out the part about the Novak's father.

Dean took a shower after dinner and began working on his Calculus homework. His phone went off with a text and he saw it was from Cas.

It read: Can you meet me outside?

Panic filled Dean. What if he told his mom and she was making him end things with Dean?

Dean replied: Be there in a minute.

"I've gotta meet Cas outside," he told Sam as he was pulling on his jacket. "If dad asks just say I had to go borrow his notes or something. He might be in trouble."

Sam nodded and Dean quickly ran downstairs to meet Cas. He found the boy sitting on the building's front steps.

"Hey, Cas. What's wrong?" He asked, sitting beside him.

"My mom got angry when I told her about us. She said.. She said that we were sinners. I don't agree, obviously, but I just want her to be okay with it, you know?" Cas explained.

Dean wrapped an arm around Cas. "Hey, don't worry. She'll come around, she's your mom."

"What if she hates me, Dean?" Cas whispered. Dean's heart sank.

"She doesn't hate you, Cas. She's your mother. She loves you no matter what. I promise. She's just gotta let this sink in."

He pulled Cas closer to him. Cas rested his head on Dean's shoulder. "I just had to get out of there for a while. Anna started yelling at my mom for being ignorant and they got in a big fight about it," He whispered.

"I'm sorry, Cas." Dean turned and kissed the top of Cas's head. "What did your dad say, Dean?" Cas finally asked.

"He was actually really happy for us," he said. "I was surprised but obviously I'm glad."

"That's great, Dean." Cas smiled. "Hopefully everyone else supports us too."

"Our friends will. And hey, if anyone else tries to give us crap about it, I'll make 'em regret it," Desn assured Cas.

It was getting pretty dark, and Cas sighed. "I don't want to go back home." He whispered.

"Want me to come with you?" Dean asked. "Maybe if we both talk to her, she'll understand."

Cas shook his head. "It would probably make things worse.." He said.

"At least let me walk you?" Cas smiled. "I would like that, Dean." Dean took Cas's hand and they walked the two blocks to Cas's house.

"Thank you Dean. I'm very lucky to have you," he said with a shy smile.

"I'm luckier to have you," Dean smiled, grabbing Cas's hands in his own.

"I love you Dean." Cas said, and Dean pulled him in for a kiss, holding him close, and not wanting him to have to go back inside with his mother.

They pulled away and stared into each other's eyes for a moment. "Goodnight Cas." Dean whispered, pulling him into a hug.

"Goodnight Dean." Cas replied, holding Dean close. Cas began looking nervous to go inside.

"Hey, everything will be fine. Your Mom is going to come around eventually." Dean promised. He gave Cas a reassuring smile and a quick peck on the cheek before Cas walked back up to his house.

Dean walked home, feeling warm from their kisses. He returned home and went to bed, his dreams were filled with Cas.

_________________________________

One week later, Dean and Cas were walking to Dean's car after school to wait for Anna and Sam.

Castiel's mom still didn't approve of their relationship, but their friends were extremely happy for them.

Charlie had instantly began making up couple names for them. (Destiel was her favorite one to use.) Jo hugged them both and almost started crying. Kevin and Benny supported them, both patting them on their backs.

"So Cas, I've been thinking and I think I'm ready for school to know. I mean, it scares the shit out of me, what people might say. But I don't care. I want everyone to know that you're mine," he said as they approached Baby.

"Really? I mean, are you sure you want to do this?" Cas asked.

"Yes." Dean smiled. "I do. I'm tired of hiding this. Even though it's only been a week." He admitted.

Cas smiled and embraced Dean happily. They pulled away and Dean kissed Cas. His taste was familiar now, and Dean loved it.

Dean woke up the next morning and pulled on his clothes and shoes, anxious to see Cas.

"Morning," he greeted his father and Sam, sitting at the kitchen table. He poured himself some lucky charms and ate them quickly, wanting to see Cas. "Ready to go Sam?" He asked after realizing that they were running a bit late.

"Yup," Sam said, pulling on his backpack. "Let's go!"

They said bye to their Dad, as he would be gone on another trip that day, and then they left.

When they got in the car Dean spoke up. "Cas and I are telling everyone today. About us."

"Really? Are you nervous?" Sam asked.

"Kind of. I don't really care though. I just want us to be happy." Dean could see Sammy smiling from his peripheral vision as they pulled into the parking lot.

"I have to go meet some people." Sam said.

"Alright, I'm gonna wait here for Cas." Dean told him as he parked the car and they got out. He leaned up against Baby and saw Cas walking towards him, smiling.

"Hey," he greeted Cas. Dean noticed that he was wearing the shirt he'd given him and grinned.

"Nice shirt, where'd ya get it?" He joked.

Cas let out a small chuckle. "Oh, my boyfriend gave it to me."

Dean smiled at the word 'boyfriend' and kissed Cas.

"Well it looks great on you," he grinned. Cas bit his lip and gave Dean another quick kiss.

Dean took Castiel's hand in his own. "Ready for this?" He asked as they began walking to the building.

"Ready." Cas agreed.


	8. Chapter Eight

Cas squeezed Dean's hand a bit tighter as they walked through the front doors of the school building. They earned a few glances from strangers, but nobody said anything as far as Dean could tell.

He and Cas made their way to first period, the minute bell ringing. Dean held the door for Cas as they walked into art, re-grabbing his hand a moment later. The students who were already sitting in class had surprised looks and quickly turned to whisper to one another.

Dean ignored them as he and Cas took their seats. Jo and Charlie gave them thumbs ups from the other side of the room, making Dean grin.

"So wait, are you two a couple now?" One girl, Dean thought her name was Emilia, asked.

"Yeah," Dean grinned proudly.

"Aw. You two are super cute together," she smiled, and Dean felt Cas sigh beside him.

"Thank you." Castiel smiled warmly, obviously relieved that no one had said anything negative to them.

"Really?" Asked Chuck. "Congrats guys," he told them. Dean wasn't surprised by Emilia or Chuck's reactions. They were both fairly nice people. The rest of art went by without any problems. Nobody mentioned them again.

Dean made it a point to walk Cas to his next class, not really caring if he was late. He gave him a quick hug. "Remember, if anyone gives you crap, call me."

Cas rolled his eyes. "It'll be fine, Dean." He assured him. Dean smiled and gave Cas a peck on the lips.

"See you at lunch," Dean reminded him. Dean felt as if his next four classes were extremely long. He worried about Cas, hoping nobody had said anything cruel to him.

Nobody had said anything to Dean though, which he saw as a good sign. At lunch, Dean hurried to the Cafeteria, wanting to see his boyfriend. "Hey Cas. How was the rest of your morning?"

"Good," Cas smiled. "I missed you though," he said, making Dean's heart melt.

"I missed you too," he said as they got in line for lunch. They both got pizza and sat closer together than they usually did at lunch. The couple held hands under the lunch table as they ate, making small talk with their friends.

"Well well well, look what's happening here," a cruel voice taunted from behind, sending a shiver up Dean's spine. He squeezed Castiel's hand a little tighter, reassuringly.

"It's okay," he whispered to Cas.

"It looks like little trench coat and bad boy Winchester have gone gay for each other," Michael taunted, resulting in a few scattered laughs throughout the crowded cafeteria.

Cas was tense beside Dean, who let go of his hand and stood up to face Michael. "Do we have a problem here?" Dean growled.

"Oh look, faggot Winchester's trying to be a tough guy," he mocked, filling Dean with anger.

"Shut the hell up!" Dean yelled, pushing Michael back.

"It really is cute how you're trying to protect your pathetic little baby of a boyfriend, Dean. Look, he's practically crying right now!"

"You shut the hell up!" Dean screamed.

 Cas looked terrified, but stood up, standing beside Dean. "Leave us alone," he said sternly.

Dean pushed Michael again, this time sending him to the ground. "You stay away from us or I'm gonna fucking kill you," Dean warned.

Michael threw Dean a glare. He stood up and pushed Dean into Cas, sending them both to the ground. "You little fags need to stay the hell out of my sight," Michael warned. "Disgusting.." He grumbled when he walked away.

Cas brushed himself off and stood up, helping Dean to his feet. "Are you okay, Dean?" He asked, worry filling his eyes.

"Yeah, you?" He asked, helping brush the remaining dust from Cas's coat. Cas nodded. Dean took Cas's hand and lead him out of the lunchroom, into an empty hallway.

"I'm sorry." Dean said quietly.

"Why?" Cas searched Dean's eyes.

"We shouldn't have done this. He's just gonna give us crap. You shouldn't have to go through the bullying anymore, Cas."

"Dean, I don't care about any of that. I just want to be with you. I want people to know that you're mine," he whispered.

"You're crazy.." Dean replied.

"Only for you, Dean."

Dean pulled Cas into a tight hug and Cas buried his face in Dean's shoulder. "I don't care what people think Dean," he whispered. "All I care about is being with you."

Dean kissed Cas on the cheek and the end of lunch bell rang. Dean sighed and pulled away from Cas.

"See you after school?" Cas asked.

"Of course," Dean smiled, kissing Castiel's forehead. "Meet me at Baby?"

Cas nodded and leaned up to meet his lips with Dean's. "Bye," he whispered against Dean's lips before they went their separate ways.

Dean worried excessively about Cas for his last two classes. When the final bell rang, he practically jumped out of his seat and ran all the way to Baby. He got there first, but could see Cas walking out of the building towards him.

"Hi Dean," Cas said as he walked up.

"Hey. Anymore trouble after lunch?" Dean asked worriedly.

Cas shook his head. "I'm fine, Dean," He smiled, leaning up to kiss Dean. Dean smiled into the kiss and pulled Cas closer to him.

"God, get a room you two." Sammy's voice joked. Cas let out a chuckle against Dean's lips and they broke the kiss.

"Wow Sammy, great timing." Dean sighed and Sam rolled his eyes as Anna walked up. "Alright, let's go guys," Dean opened the door and the climbed into Baby, Cas riding shotgun.

Dean pulled into the Novak's driveway to let Cas and Anna out. "Oh hey, can I come in and get my book? I left it here again." He asked Cas.

"Uh, sure Dean. Let me go grab it for you," Cas smiled.

"I'll come with you," Dean said quickly.

"Dean.." Cas warned. "My mother..."

Dean frowned. "Cas, she's gotta learn to deal with this. Maybe if she sees us together she'll understand? Please Cas. I just really want her to accept us.." Dean pleaded.

Cas sighed. "I can't say no to you."

Dean grinned. "It'll just be a couple of minutes Sammy."

Sam nodded and pulled out a book. Dean Cas and Anna walked into the Novak's home and Anna quietly went to her room, probably to avoid any confrontation.

Dean followed Cas to his bedroom to get his book. Cas picked it up from his messy desk and handed it to Dean.

"Here you go," he said. "Thanks Cas. I should probably stop leaving it here," he laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

"Castiel, what are you- oh," Cas's mom walked in and stopped abruptly, noticing Dean.

"Mother I'm kind of-"

"Castiel why is he here? I told you how I feel about this," she said sternly.

"Mother-" Cas started.

Cas's mom seemed to ignore him and instead turned to face Dean. "You need to leave young man. I don't want to see you around here anymore. You've brainwashed my son. You're a sinner, and sinners are not allowed in this home," she told Dean bluntly.

"Mom, Dean has not brainwashed me. I can't help loving him. And even if I could change my feelings, I wouldn't." Cas said angrily.

"Can't you see what he's done to you? You've changed Castiel. This is the work of the devil," she said harshly.

"Maybe I have changed but it's because I have found who I am, Mother. And calling me a sinner isn't going to make me change my mind."

"You know it's really shitty of you not to accept who your son is just because you're afraid that he's been possessed by satan or some crap like that," Dean said angrily.

"Don't you use that tone with me. I know what's best for my son. He is not the kind who should go against God's will."

"I really don't think that this is the type of thing God concerns himself with," Dean spat.

Cas stepped closer to Dean, and Dean notices that he was trembling.

"Dean is this most amazing person I have ever met. And if you think that we are making a mistake, take a look at who you married!" He yelled angrily, leading Dean out of his room and towards the front door.

"Don't you dare talk to me that way, Castiel!" she yelled. "And you're not going anywhere with my son!" She screamed, following the couple.

They ignored her, Cas quickly pulling Dean out the front door. "Sorry Mother," Cas spat. "You said no sinners in this house and if Dean's a sinner then I am too. And I'm glad!" He yelled.

He slammed the front door behind them and instantly broke down into uncontrollable sobs, collapsing into Dean's arms. Dean held him tightly, wanting to take him far away from this house.

"Shh, shh it's okay Cas," he whispered, leading him towards the car. He noticed Sam pretending not to notice this breakdown and noted to thank him later.

He opened Cas's door, who climbed in, no longer sobbing uncontrollably, just sniffling. The drive home was silent and when they parked, Dean told Sam to go upstairs to the apartment, and was thankful that he didn't ask any questions.

When Sam was gone Cas and Dean got out of the car and sat on the building's front steps. That's when Castiel whispered five words that broke Dean's heart.

"She doesn't love me anymore."

Dean instantly pulled Cas into his arms, stroking his back and hair with his hands.

"Yes she does Cas. She's your mom."

Cas shook his head. "She doesn't.." He whispered numbly.

"But I do," Dean whispered. "I love you so damn much, Cas."

Cas looked surprised by Dean's words. "What?" Dean asked.

"You've never said that to me," Cas said quietly. "That you love me."

"Well I do Cas. I hope you know. You're the reason I even get up in the morning. I love you." He kissed Cas's forehead. "I love you." A kiss on the cheek. "I love you." A kiss on the lips.

The kiss was passionate. Castiel tasted of honey and sweetness and Dean didn't want it to end. The kiss contained an infinite amount of "I love you's". When it ended, Cas embraced Dean.

"I love you." He whispered into Dean's neck. Dean just held him for a minute.

"Don't worry Cas. I'm here. Everything's going to be okay. I promise. I love you. You're mine, and no one can tear us apart." Dean whispered, kissing the top of Castiel's head.


	9. Chapter nine

Grabbing Castiel's hand, Dean stood up, pulling Cas along with him. "You can stay here tonight," Dean said. "If you want to."

Cas sniffled and gave Dean a sad smile. "Why do you put up with me?" He asked. "Why haven't you given up on me yet? I'm a mess, Dean. Why?" He asked with wonder in his blue eyes.

"Because I love you, Cas," Dean whispered. "You're everything. I never wanna see you unhappy." He kissed Cas's forehead. "I need you."

Cas smiled and hugged Dean. "I need you too," he mumbled. Dean smiled and broke their hug.

"So are you gonna stay here or go home?" Dean asked.

"I'll stay here. I can't face her. Not right now," Cas said quietly.

Dean kissed his forehead again and led him into the building and the elevator. They rode the elevator in comfortable silence and Dean unlocked their apartment, letting Cas in before closing and locking the door behind him.

"Cas is staying here tonight, Sammy," Dean said as they walked into the kitchen where Sam was doing some homework.

"Alright," Sam said quietly, trying to concentrate.

"What do you two want for dinner?" Dean asked.

"It doesn't matter to me. Anything's fine," Cas said, sitting at the table across from Sam.

"I want spaghettios." Sam said. "We have some! Dad bought them the other day."

Dean laughed. "Spaghettios it is!" He pulled a pot out of the cabinet along with two cans of spaghettios. He heated them on the stove top and poured the contents into three bowls.

"Here you go guys," Dean said, passing out a bowl to Sam and Cas. "Wanna eat in the living room?"

"I gotta work on homework," Sam sighed. Dean shrugged and he and Cas left the kitchen.

They sat on the living room couch to eat their dinner. "How are your spaghettios?" Dean asked with a light laugh.

"Very good." Cas smiled, making Dean happy.

"Well I am a master chef." Dean joked, making Cas chuckle.

Around nine, Sam joined them to watch tv in the living room, but fell asleep on the sofa about half an hour later.

"I'm tired too." Cas yawned after the show they were watching finished.

"Me too," Dean agreed, standing up. "You can have my bed tonight. I'll take Sammy's since he's out here," he yawned.

Cas followed Dean into his room, where Dean shuffled through some drawers. He threw Cas some pajama pants. "You can borrow these," he said, pulling out a pair for himself too.

"Thank you," Cas mumbled tiredly, pulling off his normal pants and putting Dean's sweats on. Dean changed as Cas climbed into his bed and snuggled under the covers. Dean allowed himself a moment to appreciate how cute tired Castiel was before flipping off the light.

He climbed into Sam's bed. "Night Cas."

"Goodnight," Cas whispered back. They laid in silence for a while until Cas broke it. "I can't sleep.." He grumbled.

Dean, who was still plenty awake, unable to sleep due to the constant threat of nightmares, sat up groggily.

"What's wrong Cas?" He whispered into the darkness.

"I'm cold.." Cas sighed, wrapping himself tighter in the blankets. Dean didn't buy it.

"You're lying," he stood up and made his way to Cas, sitting beside him. "What's wrong?" He brushed Cas's hair from his face and kissed his forehead.

Cas sighed. "Nightmares... Of my dad mostly," He whispered. "But I am cold too.." He added, as if to prove a point.

Dean stared at Cas for a moment. His innocent eyes and vulnerable sleepy state made Dean feel weak.

"It's okay, Cas. I get them too," he whispered, playing with Cas's hair. "Do you want me to sleep with you?"

Cas nodded and Dean slipped under the covers with him. "I love you Cas," Dean murmured, pulling Cas's body closer to his. He gently kissed Castiel's lips.

"I love you too, Dean." Cas whispered, burying his face in Dean's chest. It was the best sleep Dean had gotten in a long time.

The couple woke up, limbs tangled together, the sun peeking in through the dusty apartment curtains. Castiel yawned and smiled when he saw Dean's face inches from his own. He kissed him on his cheek and Dean grumbled and blinked his tired eyes open.

His face shifted into a happy grin and he leaned forward to peck Castiel's lips. "Morning," he whispered.

"Good morning Dean. I rather enjoy waking up beside you," Cas whispered back.

"So do I," Dean pressed his lips to Cas's again. "Oh god. School," he grumbled, looking at the bedside clock. He wondered if Sam had gone to school anyway, or if he hadn't due to the fact that Dean wasn't awake to get him up.

Cas pursed his lips and they untangled their legs. Dean sat up and rubbed his eyes before standing. He made his way to the kitchen, Cas trailing behind him, and found a note from Sam.

It read: 'I took the bus. You guys should just take a day off. You deserve it. -Sam'

Dean smiled and started a pot of coffee. "Guess were taking the day off," Dean grinned, pulling Cas into a kiss. Cas smiled intk the kiss.

"I can't argue with spending a whole day with you," he mumbled, locking their lips together again.

Castiel's phone began buzzing on the table and they both sighed as the pulled away from the kiss. Cas but his lip nervously.

"It's my mother. Should I answer?" He asked, his voice shaky. Dean nodded.

Cas tapped the answer button, "Hello mother," he said in a monotone voice. Dean could faintly hear Naomi talking and Cas's face was as white as a sheet. He cleared his throat.

"Mother I am not- no mother, just listen to me I-" Cas groaned as his mom kept lecturing him about something, probably spending the night with Dean. "We are done talking about this. I cannot and will not change my mind- No I am not leaving him!" Cas stated angrily.

Dean reached for Cas's hand and rubbed his thumb trying to comfort him. Cas was silent now, listening to something Noami was saying. "Goodbye mother." He hung up angrily.

"She- she wants me out of the house Dean," he mumbled, feeling too numb to cry. Dean grabbed his other hand.

"Shh, it's alright. You'll be okay. You can stay here. We'll have our house back soon. There's an extra room. You don't have to give in to what she wants," Dean said.

"I can't stay here Dean. I can just tell her I ended it with you.. We don't really have to break up. I can't just leave my home."

Dean could hear his voice crack and squeezed Castiel's hand tighter. Dean shook his head. "You'd rather lie about our relationship and hide it than stay here? You can say here Cas! Your mom will never understand! You can't just keep lying to her, she'll find out somehow."

Cas pursed his lips. "She is my mother, Dean. I can't keep disappointing her. She's already lost my father."

"Cas, you being gay should not be a disappointment and it definitely shouldn't mean that your mom is 'losing' you!" Dean argued, frustrated. "I want you to stand up for yourself... for us."

Cas pulled Dean into a tight hug."Dean, I have never loved another human being half as much as I love you. But I just can't do this." His voice was shaky yet stern.

Dean fought back tears, "I want you to be happy, Cas. I love you. You won't be happy with her. Please just hear me out. You can stay here I promise-" He just needed to make Cas understand.

"Dean-" Cas's voice cracked again and tears swelled in his blue eyes, turning them into a misty haze. "I'm so sorry."

Dean shook his head. "No Cas. I don't want you back in that house where that woman can brainwash you! Don't you even want to try to be happy? Please Cas just think of yourself for once and not her. Think of us!" Dean trembled, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. He was not about to lose Cas.

Castiel shook his head and took a deep breath. He held his breath before speaking. "I choose you Dean," he whispered. "I will always choose you. I know that, and I hope you realize that, because I will never love anyone the way I love you." He paused. "But I can't ask you to let me stay here. I can't-"

A sudden sharp knock on the door caused the couple to become silent. Dean felt his stomach flip. He hesitantly walked to the door and opened it, despite Castiel's violent head shaking to protest it.

"I'm here for my son." Naomi's cold voice said sternly to Dean. Dean looked back at Cas who's eyes were puffy and red.

"Do you fucking see what you've done to him?" Dean yelled. "He's already been through so much crap in his life and you're just making it worse! You're ruining his life and I don't understand. I don't get it. Why the hell can't you just accept who he is?" Dean was screaming now, Naomi giving him the worst of looks.

She pushed past Dean and advanced toward Castiel. "Castiel, we are leaving now. I cannot accept or allow this to advance any further. I can get you help. I can fix you Castiel-"

"Fix me?" Cas screamed in a rather shrill voice. "There's nothing wrong with me! It's all you and your disgusting ignorance! You wanted me out mom? Fine, I'm out! I choose Dean now leave me alone!" He screamed.

That's when Naomi did it. She hit him. Not just like a little punch that might leave a little bruise. It was sauare in the jaw, bruising on impact. Then again, on his nose. And again, and again, and again.

Dean raced over, jumping in front of his boyfriend, taking her next hit, and covering Castiel, who was on the ground. "You leave him the fuck alone! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Naomi scowled. "This is the only way to punish children. They'll never learn otherwise!" She yelled. "Don't tell me how to raise me children."

Confusion suddenly struck Dean. Why would she kick her husband out of the house if they both beat their children?

"People were becoming suspicious of the bruises, I had to get that man out. Even though we both hit them, people believed the problem was gone when he left. I just had to hurt them where no one could see," she said in a menacing voice, answering his unasked questions.

"You bitch," Dean whispered. "Leave them the hell alone!" He noticed that Cas was texting someone rapidly on his phone and was grateful to see it said Anna. A sudden relief washed over him. Anna would call the police. It would be okay.

"Don't you dare call me such names! Would you talk to your mother like that?" Naomi yelled, not noticing what Cas was doing.

"Don't fucking talk about my mother!" Dean yelled at the woman, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. 

"Now you're crying huh? I can see why you and my son are getting along so well," Naomi spat. "You can both go to hell!" She turned to leave but Dean couldn't let her go. The cops needed to come.

Dean shot her a look. "Well I guess we'll see you there," he said, successfully enraging her again. Naomi kept walking but it was too late. Dean could hear the sirens outside and a look of panic filled Naomi's eyes.

"I'm going to kill you both!" She screamed, and Dean could hear steps running from down the hall. Naomi lunged towards Dean, attempting to throw a few final punches, but a group of men were soon pulling her off of him.

The police grabbed Naomi, tightening a pair of handcuffs around her thin wrists. Once she was retained and being escorted away from them, Dean heard a loud sob from behind him and ran over to Castiel, who was still sitting on the ground.

Brushing off the police who wanted to ask questions, telling them they needed a few minutes, he sat beside Castiel and wrapped his arms protectively around him.

"I had no idea Cas," He whispered. Cas sniffled.

"It's why I always where long clothes... I can't let people see the bruises," he trembled. "My father was bad, but she's worse then he ever was."

Dean cradled Cas in his arms and kissed his brused cheek. "I'm so sorry Cas," he whispered.

"It's not your fault. I was afraid to call for help. What am I supposed to do without a mother? Where would I live Dean? What would I do without a home?" Cas whimpered, breaking Dean's heart.

"I can be your home now." Dean whispered. "I love you so much."

"What about Anna?" Cas whispered. "What am I gonna do?" He seemed panicked but Dean jut wanted him to stay calm for a moment.

"Hey hey, I promise, we can figure all of this out. Let's get you cleaned up first okay? We'll talk to the police. Were gonna get everything sorted out, okay? One thing at a time," Dean whispered.

Cas nodded and Dean pulled him up off of the ground. "C'mon."


	10. Chapter Ten

The police had finished collecting information from Cas, Anna, and Dean, and decided that because Castiel was turning eighteen in a month, he could live alone with Anna.

Naomi had been sent to prison, for how long, they did not yet know, but Castiel automatically felt as though the world had just been lifted from his shoulders.

Dean drove them both home, before going to pick up Sammy from school. Anna instantly went inside but Cas lingered for a moment. "Thanks again, Dean. See you tomorrow?" He asked.

"See you tomorrow." Dean grinned. "Love you." He pecked Cas on the lips.

"Love you," Cas replied, climbing out of the Impala. Dean pulled out of the drive, and headed to the school lot to wait for Sam. His phone began ringing and he quickly answered when he saw that it was his dad.

"Hey dad!" Dean greeted his father.

"Dean, I have some good news. The house should be ready on Monday. I'll be back tomorrow but I want you and Sam to start packing your stuff up tonight." John's rough voice told Dean.

"Really? That's awesome! Okay we'll start packing!" Dean said excitedly. He missed his old home so much it hurt. He was only worried about the memories of his mother that would linger in it's walls.

"Alright, I gotta go, Son. See you tomorrow," John said.

"See ya tomorrow, Dad. Bye." Dean hung up and a smile crept onto his face. He saw Sam approaching and grinned. Sam climbed in clumsily.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Sam joked.

"Dad just called. The house will be fixed up by Monday and we can go back! Dad wants us to start packing," Dean told him.

"Really?" Sam asked excitedly. "Yay I miss it so much."

Dean grinned. "Yeah, me too Sammy." He pulled out of the parking lot and the ride was spent with Dean telling Sam about Cas and Anna's mother.

When they arrived at the apartment Sam ran straight to his room to start packing. Dean, however, pulled out his phone to call Castiel.

"Cas? Hey, guess what? We just found out that our house will be ready on Monday!" He told him happily.

"Dean that's wonderful. Do you need any help packing or moving?" Castiel said pleasantly.

"Nah, we've got it. Now you can come over and we won't be in a ghetto apartment," Dean joked.

"Im really happy for you, Dean," Cas's smile was audible through the phone.

"Alright. I'll call you tomorrow?" Dean said.

"Yes, of course. Talk to you then. Love you."

"Love you Cas." Dean hung up and hurried to his room to begin packing up his minimal belongings into his suitcase. It was mostly clothes, but he also had his sketchbook for art class, which was filled with drawings of his mom, and some other random stuff. His other belongings had all been destroyed in the fire.

He finished stuffing his stuff into his suitcase and helped Sam, who had a few more belongings. Sam's room hadn't been hit as hard by the fire as Dean's. The brothers spent the rest of their night packing up stuff from the kitchen and living room.

On Monday morning, the three Winchesters packed up their few things into John and Dean's cars, and went back to their home.

Dean hurried as he grabbed some boxes and basically ran to the front door. He unlocked it quickly and stepped into his home.

It seemed a bit darker, and didn't smell like his old home. It looked mostly the same though, and Dean put the boxes on the kitchen floor. He stood in the kitchen for a moment, taking in the house.

Mary seemed to be lingering there. Dean felt as though she was watching him right then. It didn't make him sad, as he expected, but rather filled him with a sense of security. Dean softly smiled as he turned to get more boxes and Sam and his father entered through the front door.

He grabbed his own items now, and hauled them into his old bedroom. The room was empty now, only containing a bed and dresser. His rock band posters no longer filled the walls. He sighed and threw his stuff onto his bed.

He began stuffing his clothes into his dresser and placed his sketchbook under his bed. Dean could hear Sam in his own room, unpacking his belongings. Dean made up his bed and realized that he was done unpacking everything and the room still looked completely empty.

Dean's phone began ringing and seeing that it was Cas, he answered. "Hey Cas, what's up?"

"Hello Dean. How's the move going?" Cas asked.

"Good. Aren't you at school right now?" Dean asked after realizing it was Monday.

"Yes, it is passing period. Are you coming today?" Cas asked, and Dean heard something hitch in his voice.

"Yeah, probably around lunch, is everything okay?" Dean asked.

"Well yes, I'm fine. It's just Michael being stupid. I just wish you were here.." Cas trailed off.

"What did he do?" Dean asked, his voice rising in volume.

"Nothing, really. I'm fine Dean, I promise. He just made some rude comments. It's all fine, I was just wondering if you were coming today.."

"Yes I will be there soon, okay? Just ignore him." Dean said.

"Okay Dean. I love you."

"I love you more," Dean said with a slight laugh.

"Not really possible but alright," Cas said happily. "See you in a while"

"Alright See ya." Dean hung up and Sam walked in.

"Can you take me to school today?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I'm going too. Get ready we'll leave in ten minutes."

Sam nodded and left to brush his teeth. Dean got ready himself and ten minutes later, they were off to be fashionably late to school. By the time they got there it was lunch time. Dean found Cas and his friends right away and sat with them.

"Hey guys," he said as he slid his hand into Castiel's.

"Hey, how's the move?" Jo asked between bites of food.

"It's great. I missed the house so much." Dean told her. Cas and Dean left lunch 15 minutes early to go to their lockers and to talk.

"So I've been thinking, and we should go on a date. Like a real one. Tomorrow night. Anything you want," Dean said happily.

Cas smiled and blushed. "I don't care where we go, I just wanna be with you," he smiled.

Dean grinned and squeezed Cas's hand a bit tighter. "How about ice skating?" He asked. "It'll be fun."

"I've never been ice skating.." Cas said shyly.

"Then it's final. Were going," Dean laughed as they got to his locker. "I can teach you," he grinned.

"Ice skating it is," Cas smiled. Dean leaned in and kissed Cas.

"I love you so damn much," he mumbled against Castiel's lips. Cas smiled and the kiss broke. Cas bit his lip.

"I love you too," Cas said happily. "So so much." They kissed for the remainder of the lunch period.

That night, Dean happily took a shower in his old shower, ate dinner at the family table, and climbed into his own bed. He was home.

He felt a pang Of sadness whenever something reminded him of his mother. The house felt emptier without her in it. Dean felt like there was a hole in the house where she should be. Still, he was happy to be back.

On Tuesday night, Dean called Castiel. "I am going to pick you up at Seven and it's going to be an amazing night," he promised.

"I can't wait!" Cas said happily. "Dress warm! It's supposed to snow and we are going to be in a room full of ice!" Dean reminded Cas.

"Okay, I will. See you at Seven." He hung up and Dean made Sam some spaghettios, (their Dad had left that morning).

Dean got ready, pulling on a sweater and his leather jacket. He put some gloves in his pocket and wrapped a scarf around his neck. "I'm going out with Cas tonight so it'll be just you. Keep the door locked. Don't open it for anyone," he told Sam right before he was about to leave.

"I know, Dean," Sam whined. "Have fun with Cas," he added with a smirk.

"I will," Dean smiled, before leaving. It was lightly snowing when he arrived at Castiel's.

He rang the doorbell and Cas answered. He was wearing a sweater and scarf, and was holding a pair of gloves. Dean took a moment to appreciate how adorable his boyfriend looked all bundled up.

"Ready to go?" Dean asked.

"Yes," Cas smiled. Dean opened Cas's door for him, then got in himself to start the car.

"I have a feeling that you're going to love skating," Dean told Cas on the way there. They arrived and Dean paid for two pairs of skates while Cas ordered their sizes.

Dean helped Cas lace up his skates, and they awkwardly walked to the ice. Cas grabbed Dean's hand before stepping ungracefully onto the ice. Dean helped support Castiel as he guided him along.

"Hey look, you're not so bad at this," Dean chuckled as Cas focused on keeping balance.

"This is hard Dean," Castiel laughed, holding Dean's hand tightly. Dean showed him how to move his feet.

"You gotta keep a rhythm going," he explained as Cas got more comfortable with it. Soon, the couple could make it around the perimeter of the rink without being overlapped by three year olds.

After about an hour, Cas's stomach growled. He laughed embarrassedly. "I guess I'm kinda hungry," he said.

"Same here. Let's get some food," Dean said as they skated over to the rink exit. He helped Cas step off without falling over, and the couple stumbled into a small cafe thing that was in the building.

"What do you want?" Dean asked as they stood in line. Cas thought for a moment before deciding. "I want nachos," he said. "Oh and a hot chocolate," he added happily.

"Nachos and hot chocolate it is!" Dean grinned and turned to the lady at the counter. "Hey, I'd like two hot chocolates and two nachos please," he told her.

"Okay, that will be $10.71," she said. Dean pulled out some money and realized Cas was doing the same.

"No, I've got it," Dean told Cas. "I wanna pay."

"Are you sure?" Cas asked, as if he didn't believe that someone was going to pay for him.

"Well of course. You're my date," he said with a grin and handed the lady the money. Cas blushed and put his money back in his pocket.

"Here you go," the lady handed Dean the food, and he handed Cas his as they went to sit down next to each other at a small table.

"I'm having a great time tonight Dean," Cas said between bites of nachos.

"Me too," Dean smiled, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. He watched as Cas sipped his, and was left with a chocolate mustache. Dean let out a chuckle.

"You're so fricken adorable," he said as he grabbed a napkin and dabbed Castiel's lip. Cas giggled, literally giggled, and gave Dean a goofy grin.

"And you're the best boyfriend in the world," he said with a smile.

Dean smiled and kissed Cas's cheek. "That's impossible because I'm dating you, and you're the best," said Dean. Cas smiled again and looked down at his knees.

"You make me so happy Dean. I haven't been this happy.... ever really," he admitted. "You saved me from my old life, and I feel like I owe you so much. I just love you so much."

Dean grabbed Castiel's hand. "You owe me nothing, Cas. You helped me realize what love is. True love. I have never loved anyone the way I love you. You mean the world to me. And just for you being here, for being mine, I owe you more than I can ever say," Dean said quietly.

Dean leaned in and kissed Cas. The kiss was warm and soft. A million I love you's were exchanged through such a passionate kiss. Dean felt warm and happy and content.

"I love you Dean. This date has been amazing," Cas said against Deans lips.

"I love you more," Dean replied with a grin.

"Not possible," Cas murmured. They intertwined their hands as they returned their skates and walked out of the building doors.

Snow was falling steadily. It stuck to the sidewalk, the first snow of the season.

Cas's eyes lit up. "Snow!" He cried out, as if it weren't obvious. Dean laughed. Dean bent down to scoop up some of the white powdery snow, and packed it into a ball while Cas was busy admiring the snow's beauty. Dean hit Cas in the back with the snowball and Cas turned around, looking quite offended.

"Really?" Cas joked, scooping up some snow of his own. He threw it, successfully hitting Dean in the chest. It quickly turned into a snowball battle. They fought for about ten minutes before they were both shivering.

Dean wrapped an arm around Cas as they walked to the impala. "I'm pretty sure I won that battle," he laughed.

"No way!" Cas argued with a chuckle. "I totally killed you!"

They climbed into the car and Dean cranked the heater up.

"Wanna come over for a while?" Cas suggested. "Anna's at a friend's house," he added.

Dean grinned. "Sure," he said, pulling out of the parking lot. The ride to Castiel's was short, and Dean was grateful because the snow was now coming down harder and he didn't want to drive in it. They went inside and sat down on the living room couch.

"Do you wanna watch a movie?" Cas suggested.

"Yeah sure," replied Dean. "Which movie?"

Castiel thought for a moment. "How about Harry potter?" He asked hopefully. "It's my favorite," he added.

"Sure! I'm down for that," Dean smiled as Cas happily found the DVD.

"My mother never let us watch it because she though the witchcraft was against god." Cas told Dean. "But I don't think that's true."

"Of course it's not. It's just a movie," Dean said as the movie started. Cas snuggled up next to Dean, who put an arm around him and kissed the top of his head.

After a while, Cas put his head in Dean's lap and Dean played with his hair until the movie was over. "I should probably get going, Sammy will be wondering where I am," Dean said as the credits played.

"Aww," Cas pouted.

"I'm sorry," Dean frowned, pressing a few kisses to Cas's face.

They got up and stretched and Cas walked with Dean to the door. "This was really fun, Dean."

"It really was," Dean agreed. Cas opened the front door, and there was practically a blizzard outside.

"Oh Dean, you can't drive in this, it's dangerous," Cas said, eyes wide with worry.

"It's only a block, Cas. I'm sure it'll be fine," Dean said, trying to reassure himself as well as Cas.

"No, Dean, look. You can't even see past the porch!"

"C'mon, Cas, I'll be okay," Dean grabbed his hand reassuringly. Cas shook his head.

"Dean if something happened to you... I would never forgive myself! Wait until it dies down at least?" Cas pleaded.

Dean sighed. "Alright. I don't really feel like risking my life tonight anyway. And I don't want you to worry," he said. "Let me call Sam and tell him that I might have to stay here, okay?"

Cas smiled and nodded and as Dean called Sam, Cas turned off the DVD player and tv.

"Okay, looks like Im staying here," Dean smiled. Cas grinned and leaned up to give Dean a quick kiss.

"You can sleep wherever you want," he told Dean. "There's the guest room, the couch-"

"I wanna sleep with you," Dean interrupted. "If that's okay."

Cas blushed and nodded. "Of course it is."

Dean kissed the top of Castiel's head and Cas led him to his room. Cas's room was very tidy, as always. Even his homework table was neatly organized today. Cas gave Dean a pair of sweatpants.

"I'm sorry if they're too small," Cas said quickly. "I'm smaller than you."

"They're fine, Cas," Dean reassured him as he quickly changed into the warm sweats, which may have been a bit small, but Dean didn't care. Cas changed too, and the couple climbed into his bed.

Cas snuggled up against Dean's side, and Dean wrapped his arms around him.

"Goodnight Cas," he murmured, planting a kiss on Cas's cheek.

"Goodnight," Cas whispered. "I love you."

"Love you too," Dean whispered. He was asleep in less than a minute.


	11. Chapter Eleven

 Dean's eyes fluttered open and he was momentarily confused about where the hell he was. When his eyes finally focused he saw Castiel only inches from his face. He smiled, silently watching Cas sleep.

 Cas was the most beautiful thing Dean had ever seen, even in his sleepy state. His black hair fell messily across his face, soft snores escaped his mouth, and he looked so peaceful this way. 

Dean couldn't help but lean forward to plant a kiss to the boy's nose. Cas's face scrunched up at the contact and Dean giggled. 

"Good morning sunshine," Dean grinned.

Cas blinked his eyes open, Dean becoming lost in the intense blue that now met his eyes. "Morning," Cas smiled, his voice deep from sleep.

"I could get used to waking up with you," Dean admitted, snaking his arms around Cas's waist. 

Cas blushed. "Me too," he agreed. Dean's phone began buzzing on the desk beside Cas's nightstand and Dean rolled his eyes, groaning.

"Probably Sam," he muttered, sitting up and reaching for the phone.

"Hey," he answered, annoyed that Sam was inturrupting his Cas time. 

"Dean? Sorry for calling I was just wondering when you're coming home? The snow is still really bad. I don't want you to drive in it but it wouldn't be good to get stuck at Cas's and not be able to come home," Sam's worried voice said through the speaker. Dean knew that Sam probably didn't want to be home alone.

Dean frowned, standing up and walking over to the window. He peeled open the curtain and couldn't see very far, as the snow was still coming down in full force. 

"Damn it's really coming down. Don't worry though Sammy. I'm just down the street. I'm not driving but I'll walk home when I can okay?" He assured his brother.

"Alright. Dad called. He isn't gonna be home for a while because he's snowed in where he's staying," Sam explained.

"Okay. I'll be home in a while then, okay?"

"Okay. See you."

Dean hung up and turned back to Castiel. "It's snowing really hard," he told Cas, who was now sitting up in bed. 

"Really? I need to pick up Anna today from her friend's," Cas complained. "Let me call her." 

After Cas got off the phone with Anna, who could stay at her friend's until the snow died down, Dean turned the news on on the TV. There was a blizzard warning for most of the state of Kansas, which had never ever happened before.

"How is this even possible?" Dean asked. "We're in frickin' Kansas!"

Cas shrugged. "Who knows? Hasnt there been a lot of strange weather going on in the news lately? It's probably something to do with that." 

Dean nodded. "Yeah, it's just weird, you know?" He paused. "I should really get home to Sam. I don't want him to be stuck home alone in a blizzard."

Cas nodded. "Okay," he agreed. "Call me when you get home so I know you're safe?" 

Dean smiled, taking a step towards Cas and pulling him closer. He kissed his lips gently before speaking. "I will."

"Promise?" Cas asked. 

Dean rolled his eyes but nodded in agreement. "I promise. Besides its only down the street and I won't even drive."

Cas smiled. "Still," he mumbled. "I don't want you to get lost in the blizzard or hit by a car or something. It's pretty bad."

Dean pulled Castiel into another kiss, this one more passionate. "I'll be fine," he mumbled against Cas's lips.

Cas smiled, pulling Dean into a hug. "You should get going before it gets worse then."

Dean nodded, squeezing Cas tighter before letting go and turning to pull his shoes and coat on. He knew he would still be freezing when he left but the jacket was better than nothing.

"Hey, you shouldn't go out like that, you'll freeze!" Cas exclaimed, hurrying towards his closet. He produced a red scarf and a blue hat, holding them out to Dean. "These will keep you warmer at least."

"No. What if you need them?"

"I won't. Please Dean?" Cas pleaded.

Dean sighed and accepted, pulling them on and wrapping his arms around Cas one more time. "Thank you," he mumbled against Cas's shoulder. "I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"I love you too," Cas said, watching as Dean left his house. All he wanted was for Dean to stay and keep him warm. He didn't want Dean to venture out into the storm, even if he did live only a few houses down.  

A few minutes later though, Dean's name lit up his cell phone and he knew his boyfriend was safe with Sam. 

Cas decided to sit at his window, watching th heavy snow fall from the sky. He wondered how he got so lucky as to meet someone like Dean. He wondered how he possibly deserved to be with someone as magnificent as the green eyed boy. 

He didn't know that only a few houses down from his own, that very boy was staring out his own window, thanking God for sending him a blue eyed angel. 

Neither of the two felt as though they deserved the other, but that's exactly what made them all the more deserving. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god I'm sorry I haven't updated in forever im the worst I promise the next chapter will be better and longer because this chapter is literally garbage.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment wth any feedback or thoughts :)


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